Sony probably had high hopes when they started work on a belated sequel to 1980s classic Ghostbusters starring a cast of talented female comedians. Unfortunately, the project was hit with a ridiculous internet backlash from the moment it was announced, through the release of the trailers and finally to the movie’s stint in theaters. Ultimately, the box office profits were very underwhelming and talk of more from this version of the franchise quickly hushed up.
Director Paul Feig, however, hopes that the studio changes its mind as he’s said that he would definitely helm a sequel if he got the chance to. He explained that he had a lot of fun making the movie with leads Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones and believes that 2016’s Ghostbusters has developed something of a cult following, particularly from women, in the past couple of years.
“We would love to; it’s really up to the studio to want to do it. We had so much fun making that movie. The movie’s just really built an audience in the two years since it’s been out. I get contacted every day by people who are such fans of it, and so many women who are inspired by seeing women in science. I will go to my grave so proud of that movie, and so proud of what that cast did in that film.”
Even if a sequel starring those four leads was ordered, it’s unclear whether Feig would be at the top of the studio’s list to direct, as rumor has it that Sony was not pleased with his over-spending on the production. Original Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd – who cameoed in the 2016 movie – claimed last year that the pic blasted through $30-40 million in reshoots. However, this was later refuted by a statement from Sony, which maintained the actual cost of reshoots was hardly a tenth of that.
Whether a fourth live-action film is on the cards or not, you can bet Ghostbusters won’t be off our screens for long. After all, exec producer Ivan Reitman has already promised that an animated movie is in the works, with the release date tentatively set for 2019.
