There’s been plenty of buzz around Sony’s upcoming Ghostbusters reboot, which will be directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat) and feature four females in the leading roles. Today, we learned which four actresses could be involved: Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, both of whom worked with Feig on Bridesmaids, along with Saturday Night Live stars Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.
Variety reports that all four women are in talks for the film, but that deals haven’t been signed yet and scheduling still needs to be figured out. But Feig seems pretty confident that everything will come together – he Tweeted the following picture earlier today:
pic.twitter.com/LBtv2YXfv6
— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) January 27, 2015
McCarthy and Wiig certainly make sense here, as they’re both incredibly funny and already have a working relationship with Feig. I’m not familiar with McKinnon or Jones, but if Feig has faith in them, then chances are they’ll be able to hold their own.
While Variety didn’t have much information on the roles each actress would be stepping into, Drew McWeeny over at Hitfix has it covered. Here’s what he was able to find out:
“One thing to keep in mind here is that they are not playing the characters from the original film. They’re not meant to simply be female versions of Venkman, Spengler, Stantz, and Zeddmore. Instead, these are totally different characters in a similar type of situation. Erin Gabler and Abby Bergman are the first two leads, and as the film begins, they are former colleagues. They co-wrote a book about the paranormal together, then went in different directions. Erin works for Columbia, and she’s getting close to tenure, while Abby is more involved in the pursuit of ghosts, with a new partner named Jillian. In a world where there are thirty different “Ghost Hunters” style TV shows out there, the set-up makes sense, and it sets up a tension between serious academic motives and mainstream pop parapsychology.”
McWeeny also hypothesizes that McCarthy will play Patty, “an MTA subway ticket employee who stumbles across the main ghost in the film.” Seems like just the kind of role McCarthy would be perfect for. And if McWeeny’s sources are correct, the filmmakers are also interested in Peter Dinklage for the role of the primary villain, and Bill Murray for to fill the shoes of a professional debunker of all things supernatural.
There’s still plenty of work left before Ghostbusters goes in front of the camera, but Sony is already positioning the film as a major tentpole, slotting the reboot into a July 22, 2016 release date.
ghostbusters kristen wiig melissa mccarthy paul feig sony