Leslie Jones, who starred in the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters, has hit out at the new sequel for ‘starring men’.
Although it’s not even been three years since ghosts were last seen wreaking havoc in New York City, apparently Hollywood believes it’s time for them to make another comeback.
The new film was officially confirmed earlier this week, and will be set in the same universe as the classic 1984 Ghostbusters, as well as its 1989 sequel, Ghostbusters II.
Director Jason Reitman explained to Entertainment Weekly, rather than a reboot of the original, the film would be the ‘next chapter’ in the ghost-busting story:
I’ve always thought of myself as the first Ghostbusters fan, when I was a six-year-old visiting the set. I wanted to make a movie for all the other fans.
This is the next chapter in the original franchise. It is not a reboot. What happened in the ‘80s, happened in the ‘80s, and this is set in the present day.
This is very early, and I want the film to unwrap like a present. We have a lot of wonderful surprises and new characters for the audience to meet.
In the interview, the director spoke highly of the 2016 remake, which starred Jones alongside Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, directed by Paul Feig.
However, Reitman implied that particular cast wouldn’t be back to star in his version of the film:
I have so much respect for what Paul created with those brilliant actresses, and would love to see more stories from them.
However, this new movie will follow the trajectory of the original film.
After the news of the new film was announced, Jones turned to Twitter to express her disapproval for its production, likening it to one of the controversial acts of the US President.
The actor tweeted:
So insulting. Like fuck us. We dint count. [sic] It’s like something trump would do.
(Trump voice)”Gonna redo ghostbusteeeeers, better with men, will be huge. Those women ain’t ghostbusteeeeers” [sic]
ugh so annoying. Such a dick move. And I don’t give fuck I’m saying something!! [sic]
So insulting. Like fuck us. We dint count. It’s like something trump would do. (Trump voice)”Gonna redo ghostbusteeeeers, better with men, will be huge. Those women ain’t ghostbusteeeeers” ugh so annoying. Such a dick move. And I don’t give fuck I’m saying something!!
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) January 19, 2019
The 2016 film had a lukewarm reception and was met with a lot of criticism online; much of which was misogynistic. According to NME, the advert for the film became the most disliked movie trailer in YouTube’s history.
It’s not yet been confirmed who’ll star in Reitman’s remake, and with his promise of ‘new characters’, there could be some strong female roles in the film, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Ghostbusters 3 is set for release in 2020.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.