Caffeinated Clint
Firstly, to spare yourself a tossed grape fruit, this isn’t a sexist stance, this isn’t a purist whine, and this isn’t a beef with anyone involved in the film, I simply don’t like what they’re doing with the “Ghostbusters” label.
Yesterday, it was announced that “Bridesmaids” helmer Paul Feig had officially signed on to direct a girly “Ghostbusters”. I wasn’t opposed to the idea because I assumed, as most would, that the film would still be connected to the previous “Ghostbusters” movie –if even by cameos, references, and that ever-familiar glowing-Ghost symbol.
Seems not. According to Feige, he’s not even going to acknowledge the previous two “Ghostbusters” movies. He’s not going to have Ray or Winston cameoing. He’s not going to bring back Slimer. He’s essentially erasing what’s come before… and starting again.
That’s like making a “Star Wars” movie and leaving the Skywalkers out of it.
You can’t do a “Ghostbusters” without the Ghostbusters in it. And you certainly aren’t going to convince audiences they need to forget about that original 1984 hit.
One minute they’re giving us a “Ghostbusters III” with most of the original cast – as well as returning supports like Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis – and crew, the next they’re abandoning that idea (one we’ve been waiting for a decade to see progress on) for a film that will essentially just use the “Ghostbusters” name… but not be a “Ghostbusters” movie. It’ll be something different.
It’ll be… “An American Werewolf in Paris”.
Feig’s reasoning can be seen in an interview he gave to EW yesterday.
So in the universe that you conceived, it’s like the world of the first two movies didn’t exist?
Yeah. I love origin stories. That’s my favorite thing. I love the first one so much I don’t want to do anything to ruin the memory of that. So it just felt like, let’s just restart it because then we can have new dynamics. I want the technology to be even cooler. I want it to be really scary, and I want it to happen in our world today that hasn’t gone through it so it’s like, oh my God what’s going on?
Do you suspect that you might make room for any returning cast member cameos?
Well, I mean, look, those are my comedy heroes. So as far as I’m concerned, anybody wants to come back I welcome with open arms. It would just be in different roles now, but it would be fun to figure out how to do that.
Do you see it existing in a totally different world from the original movies? Do the outfits look different? Do you think we’ll hear the Ghostbusters theme song?
Everything is up for grabs right now. I look at this the same way a superhero movie launches where it’s always fun to see, like, what are they going to do with the costumes this time? What are they going to do with the hardware this time? It’s not going to be, here is the exact same stuff. It’s also not going to go, screw you, if you like that stuff, it’s all completely different. We’re going to have fun with it, but again, bring it into our time period. I’m a big hardware nerd when it comes to sci-fi and all of that so I love all the gear and I love all that. We’re really going to have fun with playing with the science of it. I think fans will be very happy with what we do because it has fun with what came before but it’s new. It’s just a new, fun take on it.
Feig, can’t you do your version of “Ghostbusters 3” – while pleasing the fans of the original/s too? Meet the middle!? You can have an old-meets-new scenario.. bring in some of your people, be it Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig… even, Jon Hamm!… just don’t burn the fans. They’re what made “Ghostbusters” the success it is… the cult classic it’s become.
Previously…
Who Ya Gonna Call?
Guess that depends on whether it’s 3 days before your period. And no, we can’t guarantee the person on the other end of the line won’t offer a dial-tone over advice.
Helen Keller’s favourite contemporary filmmaker has officially signed on to direct the new “Ghostbusters” movie.
Paul Feig. He of “Bridesmaids” and “The Heat” fame. Guy responsible for giving birth to the movie careers of Melissa McCarthy and… well, just Melissa McCarthy.
This isn’t the long-proposed “Ghostbusters 3”, which would’ve reunited the original cast of the 1984 film (well, all but Bill Murray – who was convinced it didn’t to exist, and if it did, he didn’t need to be a part of it), but a spin-off of the series… featuring broads with proton packs.
While it’s still likely that surviving/willing Ghostbusters Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson will appear in the film (someone has to fill these women in on just how deadly a giant marshmallow man is to your health) , director Feig will be placing female comediennes in the lead roles. So expect his regular go-to girl McCarthy to play a Ghostbuster, along with Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, and maybe even Linda Cardellini (she was in Feig’s “Freaks and Geeks”, and didn’t Bill Murray mention her as a cool contender for a Ghostbuster at one stage!?). If he can convince his “Heat” star Sandra Bullock to do battle with Slimer, that’d add some class to the production, but I’m sure she has better things to do than make follow-ups to old Danny Aykroyd movies.
Nobody onboard at this stage but Feig, and the woman he’ll be writing – or has he already started it? – the script with, Katie Dippold.
Dippold wrote the script for Feig’s “The Heat” – so I guess there is a shot that Sandy Bullock could be interested, since she was all for that libretto. Definitely a Melissa McCarthy-starrer though.
Feig’s next film is the Melissa McCarthy starring (of course) “Spy” – guess it’s box office returns will dictate how fast this girly “Ghostbusters” gets going, and whether or not MM gets the thumbs up from Sony to be in it.
Now a word from Dan Aykroyd…
“Oh, fuck you! Sony.”
