It was only last week when the news first broke that Jason Reitman was at work on Ghostbusters 3, but it’s felt a fair bit longer given all the drama that’s unfolded since, as the simmering tension around the 2016 Ghostbusters returns to the fore.
Among those taking to social media to voice their thoughts on the upcoming sequel was comedian, actress, and reboot-era Ghostbuster Leslie Jones, who called the reversion to the franchise’s original continuity “a dick move” and “like something trump would do.” Predictably, Jones’ comments received heavy backlash online, prompting Ghostbusters 2016 director Paul Feig to step in via Twitter and condemn the latest wave of trolling.
But while the filmmaker evidently feels the response received by Jones’ tweet was undue, his opinion also seems to diverge somewhat from his former collaborator’s, with Feig claiming that he’s actually very open to the next Ghostbusters movie. For context, the Bridesmaids helmsman’s full tweet reads as follows:
“An absolute honest to God never ending supply of bullshit and hate from these trolls. Leslie spoke her truth and I support her. I am very open to Jason’s new version of GB but am also sad that our 2016 team may not get to bust again. We all are. We’re forever proud of our movie.”
From the look of things, Feig doesn’t regard Ghostbusters 3 as the slap in the face that Jones feels it is, even if he’s understandably disappointed that his own take on the series won’t go beyond one movie.
Of course, the possibility of Ghostbusters 2016 landing a sequel has felt like a long shot ever since it underperformed at the box office. Regardless of the reasons behind its commercial failure, a flop is still a flop, making it hardly surprising that Columbia Pictures chose not to revisit that particular incarnation of the property. We’ll find out if this next addition to the franchise fares any better when Ghostbusters 3 comes out in summer 2020.