Maybe I’m wrong, but of all the things people remember and cherish about the original "Ghostbusters" movies, how scary they were is not one of them. It was the irreverent mix of comedy, special effects and the supernatural; a tall tale from a group of comic actors who are really good at telling tall tales. No one really tuned in expecting a decent horror flick. But Paul Feig, tasked with rebooting the franchise for a new generation, is looking to improve on the original where it doesn’t really need to be improved.
"I want ours to be scarier than the original, to be quite honest," he told Empire (via HeyUGuys). "[Screenwriter] Katie Dippold and I are so focused on wanting to do scary comedy. We don’t want to hold back." However, even though his last two movies were R-rated hits "The Heat" and "Bridesmaids," Feig will be holding back on the kind of material that will keep a wider audience from seeing the movie.
"The reason I do a lot of R-Rated comedies is that you want a movie to feel honest. But the Ghostbusters world doesn’t need that level of swearing. We’ll have to be PG-13 with this one. I would like to make it R-Rated, but I won’t. You want the biggest number of people to watch it and not be put off by it,” Feig explained. And it’s the smart move. While we never believe for a second Sony would let an R-rated "Ghostbusters" happen, it’s a franchise that trades in silly wit, not f-bombs.
As for casting, lots of names have been rumored, and folks like Jennifer Lawrence, Rebel Wilson, Emma Stone, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer and Lizzy Caplan have all met and/or reportedly expressed interest in starring in the all-female take on the series. But at the moment, Feig isn’t thinking about who will land in the movie, and is just eager to finish the script. “Right now, honestly, there could be 50 Ghostbusters. I’m just waiting to get our first draft of the script together to go, ‘Who makes sense in these roles?’ If I put the list in front of me of people that have said they want to do it, talk about a Sophie’s Choice," he said. "When you do a movie like ‘Ghostbusters,’ people get very interested.”
Indeed, we can’t think of anything outside of films by Terrence Malick, Christopher Nolan or Marvel that generate this much chatter before a script is even done, the cast has been set or a frame has been shot. Let’s hope this is all leading somewhere productive…
