Yep, it's really happening: a new “Ghostbusters” film starring a cast of women as the titular spook-hunters is officially in the works with director Paul Feig (“Bridesmaids”) and his “The Heat” screenwriter Katie Dippold. Feig tweeted out the news this afternoon:
It's official. I'm making a new Ghostbusters & writing it with @katiedippold & yes, it will star hilarious women. That's who I'm gonna call.
– Paul Feig (@paulfeig) October 8, 2014
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Feig's involvement in the franchise reboot had been rumored since August but this is the first confirmation of his attachment. Sony has tried and failed to bring a third “Ghostbusters” film to the screen since the 1990s, but it famously met resistance from star Bill Murray, who once joked to David Letterman: “I'd only do it if my character was killed off in the first reel.” “The Office” writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenbeg as well as Etan Cohen (“Tropic Thunder,” “Men in Black 3”) have all taken stabs at writing the script for a third installment, but those versions ultimately stalled out.
Earlier this year, original “Ghostbusters” star/writer Dan Aykroyd told The Hollywood Reporter that he was looking to expand the universe of the franchise by following the “Marvel model” of various interlocking films and spinoffs, though it's unclear where those plans stand following Feig's announcement.
Are you looking forward to a women-led “Ghostbusters” movie? Let us know in the comments.