Is Ghostbusters 3 finally going to become a real thing? Well, if it does, then it won't feature Ghostbusters I & II director Ivan Reitman at helm, nor does it seem likely that any members of the original Ghostbusters team will play a significant role in the film. A fresh start could be exactly what the thirty-year old comedy/supernatural horror franchise needs at this point, after the passing of series costar/co-writer Harold Ramis and the sheer amount of time that's gone by since the last film installment.
Sony is reportedly negotiating with director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat) to have the filmmaker call the shots on a Ghostbusters reboot that will focus on an all-female team of poltergeist-catchers. The news has proven to be somewhat controversial (as you might've expected), but many a Ghostbusters fan has also voiced their support for the idea. Reitman recently told HuffPo Live that he expects a deal for Feig to helm Ghostbusters 3 is "probably going to work out," adding that the plan was always to involve more women in "the next iteration of 'Ghostbusters'."
Ghostbusters series veteran Bill Murray was recently in attendance at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, where he was asked for his thoughts on Ghostbusters 3 - a project that he's long made clear he's not very interested in starring in - being a reboot that feature an all-female ghost-catching team. His response (via The Star):
"I'm fine with it. I would go to that movie, and they'd probably have better outfits, too."
Murray then offered The Star his own suggestions for who could play the next generation of Ghostbusters - namely, his St. Vincent costar Melissa McCarthy, along with Bridesmaids star (and co-writer) Kristen Wiig, Murray's Zombieland costar Emma Stone, and the ER alum, as well as recent Mad Men star, Linda Cardellini - who, some fifteen years ago, headlined the cult TV series hit Freaks and Geeks, which Feig worked on. (She also played Velma in the Scooby-Doo live-action movies of the 2000s penned by Guardians of the Galaxy's James Gunn.)
Stone, as it were, was reportedly approached to play a role in Ghostbusters 3, back when the plot for the movie involved a group of Columbia University students who decide to pickup the Ghostbusters mantle. It's not clear yet if that still holds true for the most recent Ghostbusters 3 script draft put together by Etan Cohen (Men in Black 3) - in which case the college physics students in question would simply all be women - or if Feig has a somewhat different approach in mind. (Maybe the Ghostbusters team would be a mixture of professor types and students, for example.)
Murray's proposed lineup, for my money, sounds rock solid, though there are plenty of other talented and funny ladies who could fit the bill (both obvious choices and outside the box selections alike). Bear in mind, this is all theoretical for now anyway, as Feig hasn't formally committed to an all-female Ghostbusters reboot just yet. We'll be sure and let you know if/when he does, of course.
In the meantime, feel free and let us know who you would pick, for your all-women Ghostbusters dream team.
Source: HuffPo Live, The Star