While he seems to recognize the chances are slim, Paul Feig says he would jump at the chance to make his own Ghostbusters sequel if ever given the opportunity. Of course, Feig is known for directing the 2016 reboot, which carries no connection to the original Ghostbusters movies by director Ivan Reitman. Because the movie’s reception and box office performance fell short of studio expectations, Sony took the franchise back to the drawing board, ultimately deciding to revisit the original timeline for Ghostbusters 2020.
Still, in a recent chat Paul Feig confesses he would gladly develop a sequel to his reboot if the call to do so ever comes. Here’s what Feig said when asked if he would ever make any sequels to any of his movies.
“I would actually make another Ghostbusters, if anybody ever wanted it, because I loved that world. I was like a kid in a candy store.”
Despite his optimism, Feig also admits that his vision for a Ghostbusters 2 is “probably not” ever going to happen. As for whether Sony made the right call in ending the 2016 Ghostbusters timeline to revisit the original movies for the next installment, Feig says time is going to have to tell on that one. If Ghostbusters 2020 ends up becoming a massive success and outperforms the 2016 movie by a wide margin, Feig will admit trying to reboot the franchise may have been a mistake, though he will remain forever proud of the project. From the interview:
“I mean, we’ll find out when Jason’s movie comes out. If that goes through the roof, I’ll go: ‘Sure, I guess I made a mistake doing a reboot.’ But I will never apologise for it because I’m very proud of the movie.”
The Ghostbusters franchise first began with the release of the original movie in 1984. It was directed by Ivan Reitman using a screenplay Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. Of course, Akyroyd and Ramis also co-starred in the movie along with Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson as the titular ghost-hunting team. All four reprised their roles in the 1989 sequel Ghostbusters II, which was also directed by Reitman with a script from Aykroyd and Ramis. Although the actors would later lend their voices to a video game sequel, a third Ghostbusters movie featuring the original team never made its way into production, with Sony opting for a total reboot instead in 2016.
If you were on the internet three years ago, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the backlash generated by the Ghostbusters reboot. While Aykroyd, Murray, and Hudson all appeared in special cameo roles as new characters, the movie focused on a new team led by Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. When the trailer was released online, it had set the record as the most disliked trailer on YouTube, with fans shunning the movie in droves before it was even released in theaters. Still, for what it’s worth, the movie wasn’t a total dud, as it was technically profitable, even if not to the extent the studio heads had been hoping for.
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Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters 2020 is set to premiere in theaters on July 10, 2020. As Feig suggests, it’s going to be interesting to see how well the movie does at the box office, especially in comparison to how the 2016 movie performed You can read the rest of Feig’s interview at The Guardian.
