With Paul Feig's Ghostbusters in theaters now, kicking off what Sony hopes will be the start of a new franchise, questions still linger about that other ghost busting movie that was supposed to happen. All last year there were various rumors about male-led film that could star Chris Pratt and Channing Tatum with the Russo Brothers directing. While the cast, directors, and producer Ivan Reitman have shot it down at various points, the rumors persist and likely will despite Reitman's latest comments to The Globe and Mail that the project never really existed.
“I was never involved in that, it was never real. There was a writer hired by the studio who did 30 pages, and it wasn’t very good. The biggest misconception was that we were creating a parallel film in case the girls version didn’t work out. But the only movie we were making was Paul’s movie. It never faltered.”
Reitman and Sony still plan to expand the Ghostbusters universe through sequels and spinoffs, and there's going to be an attempt to factor in the original 1984 film in some way going forward. Just don't use the phrase "cinematic universe" because Reitman really hates that...
"I hate using those terms – it diminishes what we’re going to end up doing. But we’re hoping we can make sense of these two parallel movies [the original series and the Feig reboot] – we have an idea for it, we’re working on it.”
So it sounds like Reitman is already looking ahead at a sequel to Feig's movie, which opened with $46M over the weekend. That's not bad but it isn't great, either, especially considering the $144M price tag. One person who isn't worried is Sony Distribution Chief Rory Bruer who told The Wrap that another movie with Melissa McCarthy and Co. is definitely happening...
“The ‘Ghostbusters’ world is alive and well. I expect ‘Ghostbusters’ to become an important brand and franchise. While nothing has been officially announced yet, there’s no doubt in my mind it will happen."
Next up for Reitman in the Ghostbusters universe is the animated series, Ghostbusters: Ecto Force, which takes place in the year 2050 and will arrive some time in 2018. But as for the ladies? Sounds like they aren't done mopping up the city of the paranormal just yet.
Reitman and Sony still plan to expand the Ghostbusters universe through sequels and spinoffs, and there's going to be an attempt to factor in the original 1984 film in some way going forward. Just don't use the phrase "cinematic universe" because Reitman really hates that...
"I hate using those terms – it diminishes what we’re going to end up doing. But we’re hoping we can make sense of these two parallel movies [the original series and the Feig reboot] – we have an idea for it, we’re working on it.”
So it sounds like Reitman is already looking ahead at a sequel to Feig's movie, which opened with $46M over the weekend. That's not bad but it isn't great, either, especially considering the $144M price tag. One person who isn't worried is Sony Distribution Chief Rory Bruer who told The Wrap that another movie with Melissa McCarthy and Co. is definitely happening...
“The ‘Ghostbusters’ world is alive and well. I expect ‘Ghostbusters’ to become an important brand and franchise. While nothing has been officially announced yet, there’s no doubt in my mind it will happen."
Next up for Reitman in the Ghostbusters universe is the animated series, Ghostbusters: Ecto Force, which takes place in the year 2050 and will arrive some time in 2018. But as for the ladies? Sounds like they aren't done mopping up the city of the paranormal just yet.
