It’s back to business for Sony Pictures, beginning with their highly anticipated female-led Ghostbusters reboot to be helmed by Bridesmaids director Paul Feig. Little has been revealed up to this point besides the bombshell of the exclusively female cast. Feig recently sat down with Empire Magazine however,to drop some key updates for fans.
Feig revealed that this film will indeed be a reboot and not a sequel, saying “I have too much respect for the original.” He also likes the idea of a reboot mainly for storytelling purposes – “There’s something fun about introducing our world, which has never seen ghosts, to the phenomenon of ghosts. I love origin stories and to introduce new characters.”
Although Feig and the studio are in the process of searching for a cast – not to mention finishing the script – no actresses have been officially locked in. Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect) has reportedly met for a role, but official casting statements have yet to be made. Feig revealed that the process will be difficult due to all the actresses who have expressed interest, calling it a “Sophie’s Choice.” Back in September, original cast member Bill Murray revealed to The Star his own female dream team, which was comprised of Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Linda Cardellini, and Emma Stone. The latter three have all worked with Feig in the past on Bridesmaids, The Heat, and Freaks and Geeks. These suggestions therefore could very well end up being premonitions once the cast is settled.
As for what he does know about the developing script, Feig and co-writer Katie Dipold are aiming to make it “scarier than the original.” Although they “don’t want to hold back,” he and Dipold will have to make concessions to qualify for a PG-13 rating. On this front, Feig commented “the reason I do a lot of R-rated comedies is that you want the movie to feel honest. But the Ghostbusters world doesn’t need that level of swearing… You want the biggest number of people to watch it and not be put off by it.” Some of the most popular horror films in the past (Insidious, The Ring, and The Grudge to name a few) have all been rated PG-13, so it will be interesting to see just how far Feig is willing to go to scare the audience.