We’re living in the age of reboots. Nowadays, even with films that aren’t terribly old (Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, etc.), it doesn’t take much for Hollywood to decide to scrap the existing franchise and go back to the drawing board. Which brings us to the impending Ghostbusters movie.
But before we get there, let’s talk about some proposed sequels that, obviously, were never made. The Chive has a great list of crazy ideas that were actually considered. For example, Dan Aykroyd wrote a complete script where the Ghostbusters go to hell to fight the devil, who was described as Donald Trump-like. In another story, pitched by screenwriter Max Landis, the boys are not catching as many ghosts as they used to, so they decide to summon some minor ones, but instead bring back Gozer. Another idea came from original director Ivan Reitman. In his version, Venkman and Dana have a son who goes on to join the Ghostbusters team. As this would be a passing-of-the-torch-type film, it would be infused with some young blood, including actors Zach Galifianakis, Jonah Hill, and Aubrey Plaza.
Although all decent suggestions, instead we have a totally different movie now. But what do we know about it? Well, if you have seen any of the promotions, you know that there has been a gender reversal. All four Ghostbusters are played by women and their receptionist is a glasses-wearing Chris Hemsworth—see what he looks like on Collider. Additionally, we know that many cast members from the first two films will make cameos, including Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver.
We also know that to coincide with the movie, Polygon reports that a new Ghostbusters video game will be released this year for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This follows a popular game that came out in 2009 and featured the likenesses and voices of many original cast members, with a story by Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis. Interestingly enough, the original Ghostbusters has remained so popular that there is even a slots-based version of the movie. As seen on GalaBingo, it includes all of the familiar, ghoul-exterminating characters along with guest appearances by Slimer and the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
So, what else do we know about the reboot? According to Design & Trend, we know that Tywin Lannister (aka actor Charles Dance) will be in it, but it remains to be seen who exactly he will be. He said his character isn’t a friend or foe. “He’s neither really,” Dance said. “He’s not villainous, but he just doesn’t understand and appreciate the whole Ghostbusting thing.”
We also know that Aykroyd is looking forward to the movie and thinks it could be great. “He has a great touch directing female actors and he really knows how to hit the female psyche and sensibility,” Aykroyd said of director Paul Feig. “In a way, his movie might be a little better than the first two because they can do more — CGI might be a little better. But also, you know, there might be more jokes in it.”
Are you excited for the new movie or would you rather just go watch the first two on Netflix?
