The likely cast of the long-awaited all-female reboot of “Ghostbusters” has been revealed, and while filmmakers are staying tight-lipped so far about the production, social media users have weighed in and they ain’t afraid of no women in comedy.
Leslie Jones is going to be the biggest star in the world and I can't wait
— Kelly Dwyer (@KDonhoops) January 27, 2015According to the Hollywood Reporter, comic actresses Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy and Kate McKinnon are all in talks with “Bridesmaids” director Paul Fieg to resurrect the blockbuster franchise which has laid dormant for the past 25 years. Producers are aiming to begin shooting the film this summer in New York City.
Fieg’s version began to gain traction when Harold Ramis, the writer and co-star of the original films, passed away last year and actor Bill Murray appeared to throw cold water on resuming his iconic lead role. With a planned reunion of the 1984 “Ghostbusters” cast alongside new comic stars seemingly stuck in development pergatory, Fieg approached Sony with his fresh take, and so far, the reaction from fans has been largely positive.
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After the director tweeted a photo Tuesday featuring just the faces of his four potential stars, “All Female Ghostbusters” and the actresses names all quickly became trending topics across social platforms.
“I am already sitting in the theater waiting for Ghostbusters to start,” tweeted Krista Doyle, a writer for MTV’s “Ridiculousness.”
“Notably, if you were casting a new Ghostbusters movie without any regard for gender, you couldn’t get much funnier than those four humans,” added Michael Schur, the co-creator of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation.”
Rumors have been swirling around the all-female “Ghosbusters” for months, and when the studio releasing the movie — Sony — was hacked last year allegedly by North Korea, casting discussions were revealed. While Wiig and McCarthy were linked to the project at the time, the choice of current “Saturday Night Live” stars McKinnon and Jones came as something of a surprise Tuesday.
Jones, who performances on ‘SNL’ have occasionally been polarizing, was also a trending topic in the wake of the Fieg reveal and her potential casting has generated some of the most debate among “Ghostbusters” fans. “Been a quick rise for Leslie Jones… becomes SNL writer, then castmember and now closing in on Ghostbusters reboot,” tweeted Tim Baysinger, associate editor for Broadcasting & Cable.
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“Leslie Jones vs. Ghosts could be the name of the movie and I’m still buying a ticket in a second,” added Yahoo! Sports editor Greg Wyshynski.
My female Ghostbusters: Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Jessica Lange and Frances McDormand with Tilda Swinton playing herself (a ghost).
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) January 27, 2015But not everyone was thrilled about the inclusion of Jones. African-American blogger Oliver Willis tweeted that her “act looks a lot like minstrelsy,” and said that while he still intends to see the movie, he finds the possibility of Jones being cast “disappointing.”
There has also been some misogynist pushback to the concept of women filling roles previously played by men. Several men accused the filmmakers of “pandering” to feminists and politically correct audiences on Twitter.
Still, most movie fans seem psyched to see this new spin on 1980s favorite. As “Late Night” host Seth Meyers tweeted, “Bustin’ has always made me feel good, but today more than ever.”
Adam Howard