Paul Feig has taken to social media to celebrate the success of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Best known for his work on films like Bridesmaids and Spy, Feig helmed the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters. In the years since his involvement in the Ghostbusters franchise, Feig has seen success helming films such as A Simple Favor and Last Christmas.The Ghostbusters franchise kicked off in 1984 with the release of Ivan Reitman’s original film. A landmark moment in cinematic comedies, the titular team included Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and the late Harold Ramis.
The success of Ghostbusters led to a 1989 sequel, as well as a never-ending line of toys, cartoons, tie-in products, and more. The series returned to the silver screen in 2016 with Feig’s take on Ghostbusters, which was headlined by Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon. This resulted in a massive (and arguably unwarranted) online backlash about the shift away from Ghostbusters' original continuity. Following the controversy surrounding Feig’s film, Ghostbusters has now fallen into the hands of Jason Reitman, with Ghostbusters: Afterlife steering the series closer to a universe of the original films.
Now, with the Ghostbusters franchise heading in a new direction under the guidance of Jason Reitman, director Paul Feig seems supportive of the success of Ghostbusters: Afterlife as it pushed to a $4.5 million box office gross in Thursday previews. In a post to his Twitter, Feig praised the box office numbers of Ghostbusters: Afterlife and congratulated all involved. Feig wrote:
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While the Ghostbusters franchise has seemingly moved on from the version of the universe that Feig spearheaded in 2016, there seems to be nothing but support. In fact, Feig seems interested in seeing many more Ghostbusters adventures in this corner of the franchise's universe. Whether that involves the young kids who headline Ghostbusters: Afterlife or the original Ghostbusters who return in the film remains to be seen.
Of course, all of this leads fans to wonder if Feig may ever return to the Ghostbusters franchise for another crack at the characters. Though the online dialogue around his 2016 reboot of the series grew to an arguably toxic level, there are vocal fans of the all-female version of the Ghostbusters team. Given the increase in multiverse-focused stories and a growing emphasis on crossovers, it’s not impossible to imagine an Avengers-level event in which the characters from the 2016 Ghostbusters somehow make their way back to the Ghostbusters multiverse after the debut of Afterlife. For now, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is currently in theaters.
Source: Paul Feig