Forget GHOSTBUSTERS 3! Franchise Could Reboot With All Female Team

By M.R. Gott on Monday, August 4th, 2014

Paul Feig, the director of Bridesmaids and The Heat is currently attached to the long festering Ghostbusters 3 with Dan Aykroyd stating filming will begin in spring of 2015. With Feig now attached and his intentions stated of an all female team out, Krsiten Wiig and Melissa McCarthy are being eyed as new Ghostbusters in this reboot. While nothing on this film is certain, I want to just stop hearing about it.

An all new cast is a bad idea, and as much as I argue we need more gender diversity, constructing an all female team just because is a gimmick. If the casting process was open to everyone and four women ended up with the roles, great. But this is not that. While I missed Ghostbusters in theaters during its initial two outings its getting a re-release on the 29th of August and I can catch it then. I am a huge fan of Horror and Comedy mixing, but I’d rather see a new property brought to the screen. Something like ‘John Dies at the End.’

The only new Ghostbusters concept I’ve heard and liked was the idea of a prequel set in the 1920’s and focusing on Ivo Shandor, and cult of Gozer from Max Landis. His idea would be a harder horror flick, adding an additional level of intensity to the original Ghostbusters as we’ll have seen some dark cult stuff. But we live in a world of PG-13 Expendables movies so this is not going to happen. If you need a new Ghostbusters fix I say check out IDW’s series which will be wrapping up in September.

S#!T Talking Central

juarhela

Allow me to respectfully address some of your points, because, as a woman, I’m slightly perturbed. While it may just be a choice of words on your part, I hope you understand the implications of what you’re saying, and how your viewpoint is actually part of the problem that hinders diversity, rather than encourages it.

1. You call an all-female version of Ghostbusters a “gimmick”. That’s pretty insulting to women – it implies that the only reason for having an all female cast is “just because”, not because there could be a great story told or something fresh brought to the table by a female cast.

2. In the same article though, you approve of a remake of Ghostbusters that’s darker and scarier than the original. By your reasoning, wouldn’t that be a gimmick as well, making it darker “just because?” Especially since the franchise was originally designed to be comedic? So, by extrapolation, you’re okay with one gimmick, but not the other. We can do anything else to the movie, but goodness, not an all female cast…

3. “If the casting process was open to everyone and four women ended up with the roles, great.”

First of all, that’s generally not how Hollywood casting works. Parts are generally written with male or female characters, and are then casted for. It’s uncommon that a writer or director will change the gender of a character simply on the strength of an audition. The likelihood of that happening FOUR TIMES in one movie is just non-existent.
Secondly, If achieving diversity was that simple, if all women had to do was show up an audition, then this wouldn’t even be a talking point. But it’s not that simple. Diversity doesn’t just happen. At this point in the culture, diversity requires intention and effort. Like trying to tell the story of 4 female Ghostbusters.

I’m not making any assumptions about your character. But you should know that your manner of thinking, or at least the way you’ve stated your thoughts, is part of the problem that women have to face in Hollywood right now.
- Wherethedead FeartoTread
  
  Alien was written with all the parts gender neutral, my thought was along those lines. Darker wouldn’t be a gimmick in and of itself. As I stated it could add an intensity to the 1984 one, if we saw all the behind the scenes villains. Please see my pieces here
  http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/comics/role-female-characters-within-stories-fanboys/105552#!bvwDMu
  
  and here
  
  http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/news/cosplay-doesnt-equal-consent/105297
  
  in regards to my thoughts on sexism.
  
  Or here
  
  http://wherethedeadfeartotread.blogspot.com/search?q=hop+against+
  on homophobia
  
  While I fully understand diversity doesn’t just a happen there is a difference between pandering and sincerity. Take a flick like The Other Woman with three female leads and it still fails the simple Bechdel test. While I will work on my wording, because I failed to communicate my ideas properly I don’t believe I am contributing to the homogeneity in casting of white males, or telling their stories.
  - juarhela
    
    Fair response. Seems like I didn’t express my thoughts well either. I didn’t mean to imply that you, as a person, are contributing to the lack of diversity. I’ve read some of your other articles before this and I know you’re not, and I apologize if that’s how I came across.
    
    What I did mean was that others who are less informed could read this, if only because of how it’s written, and take this as support for the idea that using female leads in genre movies is a bad idea.
    
    Using female leads, especially in science fiction, is often seen as pandering (and it often is, no argument here). But I do think the stories should be given a chance to come to light before being written off as a cash-grab or a gimmick.
    - Wherethedead FeartoTread
      
      agreed,
      all the best,
- Corey
  
  Juarhela,
  
  Coming from a man in the business everything is being handed to women. Women are the sexist ones of society in the western world. From horror films to action they have women dominating it. An all female Ghostbusters is a pathetic and a ridiculous idea conducted by some modern day man hating feminist alliance. There isn’t even any “Guy Flicks” anymore yet “Chick Flicks” stay the same(Some even man bash). So save your stupid feminist remarks elsewhere. I’ll personally drop you off in a 3rd country and see how good you have it. As an actor I’m fed up with all these roles going to females all the damn time. Its sexist and they won’t paint it as such because its women doing it. Hell the Canadian Actors Union(A Union is to protect workers) ACTRA even has feminism on its site. Nobody would go see this crap with an all female cast. It NEVER works. Women have it easy in Hollywood. Every blockbuster has some female kicking Ass and acting like a guy or they remake a whole F’N film just to do role reversal(EVIL DEAD, The THING, Hitcher etc etc etc). Women like you make me laugh because you don’t speak truth. A guy says his opinion about women then its “YOU HATE WOMEN”. But women do it its fine. Pathetic.
  - Wherethedead FeartoTread
    
    You seem pretty mad for someone commenting on the anger of another. You should check out Expendables 3 this weekend for a guy flick. I know there is one strong woman in it, hopefully she won’t scare you too much. Or maybe sin city next weekend, there are some pretty tough dudes in that. Last weekend was dominated by the total chick flick TMNT, nothing but estrogen there. And before that was GOTG with the very feminine Chris Pratt in the lead role. Before that the Rock’s Hercules opened and nothing screams chick flick more than that. So this summer has been tricky for tough dude flicks.
VirgilHawkins

I wouldn’t mind an all female Ghostbusters team, if they gave a decent enough reason for it. However, putting Kristen Wiig and/or Melissa McCarthy on the movie practically ensures I won’t see it. I personally don’t find either of them all that funny.