The more things change… As we discussed yesterday in our feature, "The Legacyquel Treatment: 15 Films Ripe For A ‘Star Wars’-Style Nostalgic Redo," studios are keen on reviving brands but not changing them too much. The idea is to mix a little bit of the old in with the new, so that all the elements you recognize from a property are there, just given a new coat of paint. Sometimes it works very effectively, as we saw with "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," while other times, it just becomes a complete mess, like it did with "Terminator Genisys." And so for the upcoming "Ghostbusters" reboot, Paul Feig‘s picture can go either way, but for those who are unimpressed with the trailers, the director promises his picture will have a few of your favorite things in it.
READ MORE: The Legacyquel Treatment: 15 Films Ripe For A ‘Star Wars’-Style Nostalgic Redo
“It was very important to [co-writer] Katie Dippold and I to have all the most iconic things from the original films in,” the director told Empire. “The first thing Katie said was, as a fan of the film there are some things I’d be bummed and pissed if they weren’t a part of the movie. Right at the top of the movie is Ecto-1. At the same time, we want to make it our own. I have a love of that 70s and 80s big boat car, that period when they were very angular. I’m from Detroit, so it was a Cadillac. It’s a cool look, it’s reminiscent of the original one but it gives it its own feel.”
Like I said, a bit of something old, a bit of something new, but nothing unfamiliar, and that includes the return of Slimer as well ("you can’t make ‘Ghostbusters’ and not have Slimer in there"). However, there are some changes that go beyond cosmetic, and much of those lie in the casting. Feig has done a gender reversal on some of the main characters, with the proton-pack-wearing crew played by women — Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Melissa McCarthy — and the receptionist now portrayed by Chris Hemsworth. But the latter won’t just be answering the phone.
“He’s not just a pretty face,” Feig said. “By the end of the movie, there’s quite a bit that Kevin does.”
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While certain, pathetic tragic nerds continue to rail against having women play the lead roles, Feig reveals how he carefully considered each part for the actresses involved, explaining why he swapped in Jones for Patty instead of McCarthy as was initially planned.
“When Katie and I wrote the script, we had written the role with Melissa in mind, but then I thought I’ve seen Melissa play a brash, larger than life character. She’s done it in my movies before!” Feig said.
“I don’t normally like comedy that’s big and loud, but [Jones] is able to pull that off in a way that feels real and it’s her. And when I make a movie, I want to find the funniest people I know and once I know what’s the funniest thing about them I want that to be the thing that I put on screen and let shine. This is the role that Leslie can shine comedically in. If you’ve ever seen her do stand-up, it’s just who she is. I wanted to unleash Leslie on the public in the same way we unleashed Melissa on the public in ‘Bridesmaids,’ with a very showy role,” he added.
"Ghostbusters" opens on July 15th. Check out the new international trailer below.
