So… That Other GHOSTBUSTERS Movie ISN’T Happening?

Ghostbusters is a strange old franchise. The first movie was great, the second wasn’t so great, and for decades the cast and crew tried to get a third off the ground which has since turned into a female-led reboot. That in itself is an exciting prospect, however what Sony are also (apparently) trying to do is launch something of a shared universe – this is where the strangeness kicks in.

We first heard about the project a couple of months ago; an “all-male” movie with Chris Pratt and Channing Tatum to be written by Drew Pearce. Pratt vehemently denied the rumours and it seemed like that was that, but the other day Pearce revealed that the film is still very much happening and he completed work on it, which you can read all about here. Original director Ivan Reitman has since weighed in, and according to him this alleged spin-off now isn’t happening – again.

“There has been a lot of excitement recently about what is happening with the Ghostbusters franchise. As the producer of the new Ghostbusters film, I feel the need to clarify. There is only one new Ghostbusters movie and that is the Paul Feig directed version coming next July, presently filming and going fantastically. The rest is just noise.”

Well, that’s a little odd.

One creative is saying it is on and another is saying it isn’t – who do we believe? If you read between the lines in Reitman’s comments then you’ll see that we still have to believe Pearce.

Yes, there is only one new Ghostbusters movie, directed by Paul Feig and set for release next July. That other spin-off as of now doesn’t fully exist; it is only a bunch of ideas and concepts put together by Pearce, the Russo Brothers and Sony executives rather than something with a script, cast and shoot date. However, the dismissal of the project by describing it as “noise” is a little strange. Look, I’ve met and interview Drew Pearce – he’s an incredibly lovely and professional guy. It’s not as if he’s going to be lying about his work at film premieres; the man is definitely involved with another movie. I also get where Reitman is coming from. As it isn’t something which properly exists yet he wouldn’t want it to distract people from an actual movie coming out, which is his and Sony’s priority at the moment.

Rest easy, nerds. That other Ghostbusters movie is still happening. Probably.