paul feig

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call - GBHQ's Full Review

It's finally here. After the better part of a year discussing every morsel of news in great detail, Paul Feig's rejuvenation of the Ghostbusters franchise is now in theaters around the world.

I'm no critic, I'm a lover of film. And obviously as this is a Ghostbusters fansite, posting a review would have an incredible bias against it. But if you're looking for my thoughts and in-depth analysis, stay tuned to future episodes of our podcast the Interdimensional Crossrip, where we'll be discussing at great length. But being that this is the first live-action Ghostbusters film hitting theaters since 1989, I can't help myself. After the first viewing, here are some of my thoughts.

It goes without saying that spoilers are present throughout the below. Proceed at your own risk.

OVERALL

This film is a love-letter not just to Ghostbusters and all of the characters and situations that accompany it, but also a love-letter to films from the 1980s in general. While the film didn't receive that great of critical acclaim, I felt the same way about Ghostbusters after watching Kevin Smith's Cop Out, a film that was a perfect 80s movie (the latter being a throwback to the R-rated buddy cop comedies that were made by the dozen in the mid to late 80s) made with modern technology. The same holds true to Paul Feig's Ghostbusters. It's a movie of the 80s, made with all the bells and whistles and style of 2016. It's fun. It plays absurd situations with absolute sincerity and without the snarky cynicism that seems to be the modern status quo. There's a playfulness to the film from the opening frames featuring The Office and Silicon Valley's Zach Woods all the way through the closing credits. In a world where darker and grittier is often perceived as being better, I'm glad that this film didn't follow in that current trend's footsteps.

Like many films of the 80s, it's not perfect. There are a few holes here and there, but nothing that's not easily overlooked in the moment of watching the film. After my first viewing, the third act of the film seems like it was stitched together after several omits where you do get a sense that you're glossing over something that was previously there. You know what really would have helped and have been "so totally 80s" that it would have been perfect? A montage in the middle of the film showing the four Ghostbusters honing in their skills, gaining more and more notoriety, and Rowan breaking the barrier more and more. Just a little bit of a slide from point A to point B would have gone a long way (and would have been a great throwback to the oft-used device). Substance takes a backseat to style in the closing moments of the film, which isn't necessarily a new thing to the Ghostbusters filmed franchise (or the cartoons for that matter). But the end result is so satisfying and fun to watch that you don't really mind.

Tonally, aesthetically, and vocally you can tell that the film took a great deal of care in making sure that every detail was right for the property. The casting is spot-on, the sets and costumes completely and totally on-point, from the minute the theater darkens to the minute those house lights go back up there is no doubt that this is Ghostbusters.

CHARACTERS

As many have said and as I'm sure was completely intentional, the four lead characters are most definitely not the same archetypes as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore. Instead, characters are all their own, not fitting into the standard "brain," "mouth," "heart," "everyman" qualities.

Erin Gilbert

Interestingly enough, our main POV throughout the film seems to be through Kristen Wiig's character Erin Gilbert. She incites the adventure at the beginning of the film by receiving a tip about the haunted Aldridge Mansion. Gilbert is a scientific genius, but a little socially awkward. Her sense of dress and style at the beginning of the film is a point of contention with her overbearing senior played by the always effectively menacing Charles Dance. Gilbert's arc is fun to watch as she goes from a wound tight professor concerned about obtaining her tenure and maintaining a level of professionalism (wanting to call their new business venture the Conductors of the Metaphysical rather than something childish like Ghostbusters). Toward the end of the film, she's confident, has a new sense of style and self-confidence, and embraces being a hero.

Jillian Holtzmann

From the first leaked photography on set, the fans loved Holtzmann. And rightly so. As expected, she's the stand out character of the new film and when all is said and done, is the most unique and previously unseen. She's one part mad scientist, one part whimsical child, with reckless but astounding results. if Egon Spengler was the New Age Spock, it seems that Jillian Holtzmann is the Millennial Doc Brown. A character like this can easily be overplayed to a point where its taxing on the audience and completely unmotivated (ala Lex Luthor in the recent Batman v. Superman) but Kate McKinnon handles the role with grace and ease. She sells over-the-top lines like, "Look over there - THE EYES!" evenhandedly, even throwing in television announcer references and quotations reminiscent of Stephen Furst's character in The Dream Team, leading you to believe that everything is an elaborate alternate universe of her own. She flirts with Erin Gilbert, but then again she flirts with Matt Walsh's heavy Homeland Security character as well. She's unpredictable and incredibly memorable.

Abby Yates

Once again, Melissa McCarthy defies a stereotype and overcomes preconceived notions of the characters that she plays. People who dismissed her character in The Heat as an oafish slob that rested on the laurels of "fat jokes" were completely wrong about the hard-ass, super cop character that she actually played. But here, Yates is sharp, incredibly enthusiastic about her work, and if any of the characters could draw lines of connection to their predecessors, she does feel like the most "Ray Stantz" of the group. Her enthusiasm is infectious. Her exasperation when her soup arrives sans wontons understandable. The subtext between the rift that grew between her and Gilbert makes a lot of sense as one character continued to remain the same, while the other decided to "become an adult" and suppress her childlike wonder. If there's a new heart of the Ghostbusters, it seems to be Yates.

Patti Tolan

Leslie Jones' character takes on the role of Winston of sorts, being the every day average civilian brought into the extreme circumstances. She says things that the audience is absolutely thinking, turning a corner to see mannequins in storage and exclaiming, "Well that's a room full of nightmares." Jones' extroverted and "loud" nature seems to always take center stage in describing her character, as if people were relegating Sam Kinison to just being "that guy who's loud and screams a lot." While both of those statements may be true, it's really in Jones' comedic subtleties that she shines. Grumbles under her breath and asides provide some of the biggest laughs from Tolan.

Supporting Roles

The film is packed with drop-ins and cameos of some of comedies biggest names. True to form there are a lot of surprise cameos that I won't spoil in this review but it's really Chris Hemsworth's well-meaning but dumb as a box of rocks Kevin that takes center stage. Faced with the difficult role of making such a deplorable klutz of a human likeable, much like Rick Moranis' brilliant Louis Tully, you understand why the characters take Kevin under their wing. His lack of intelligence or competence is completely unforgivable. But his charm and his aloofness make him endearing. Andy Garcia and Cecily Strong as the government officials pull a complete 180 of William Atherton's Walter Peck, rather than playing the role of antagonists, they show that the government means well and wants to help but has their hands tied by public perception. It's an interesting spin on politics and our view upon government now versus back in the 1980s.

DESIGN AND VISUAL EFFECTS

One of the prevailing critical statements against the first handful of trailers for the new Ghostbusters was that it looked like the computer generated effects had taken over completely - but the blend between the practical and the digital is so fantastic, that much like ILM and Stan Winston's brilliant Iron Man suit effects, you have a tough time telling where the practical ends and the digital begins. Actors in harnesses wore interactive glowing lighting effects and were filmed practically, then supplemented by the digital artists in post-production to great effect. The third act is a marvel of design with so much happening in the frame but a very easy to follow focal point. Where most films that have brilliantly elaborate animated effects throw everything and the kitchen sink into a frame to a point that it's complete indecipherable chaos, Ghostbusters makes sure that you're following the plot, never losing sight of the focus in the frame.

Much of that might be attributed to the cinematography of Robert Yeoman, whom I continue to adore. Where he builds entire worlds for Wes Anderson (and yes, made me fall in love with the landscapes of California in The Wizard), Yeoman's cinematography embraces that this is a big, high-concept comedy and really plays with brilliant highlights and saturated colors. Pops of color everywhere (yellow curtains in the Higgins lab, ethereal green glows in the Mercado) go a long way, a testament to the production design of Jefferson Sage as well. The surprise appearance of a familiar firehouse in various forms shows that a meticulous recreation of the Firehouse 23 was recreated on a soundstage in Boston to great effect.

MUSIC

Blending of genres often proves a difficult challenge for composers, note how Elmer Bernstein handled the first film versus how Randy Edelman handled the 1989 film. Bouncy and light is tough to blend seamlessly with the creepy and macabre. Luckily Theodore Shaprio's score is absolutely brilliant, kicking things off with a throwback "scary music" homage to Elmer Bernstein that also sounds so in tone with the Ghostbusters universe that fans have both compared it to the animated The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters, showing just how on-point it is. Choral elements and chanting really accentuate some of the darker operatic moments of the film, while a Theramin and even rattling chains are used to be unsettling spooky effects. A stand-out among the score is the use of Ray Parker Jr.'s hook on the Ghostbusters theme song as a slowly building hero theme that debuts the moment the team sees their first ghost and turns into a full-on robust theme in the third act at the height of one of the most heroic moments.

Interestingly, given the heavy-hitters on the pop soundtrack - all of the needle-drop in the film for the most part is used as source music, with only the Fall Out Boy collaboration and Ray Parker Jr.'s original theme song being presented front and center. If you're waiting for a "Saving the Day" moment where the pop album takes over to the visuals, it won't be happening as the film rests on Shaprio's amazing score. Curiously, the stand-out song in the film, No Small Children's rocking version of the theme is absent from the US release on iTunes and on CD releases of the soundtrack. Hopefully it will be available as a single soon.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If I were to run into Paul Feig, Katie Dippold, Ivan Reitman, Dan Aykroyd or heck, any of the cast and crew that worked their tails off on this film and on top of having the challenge of completing a very difficult and elaborate film had to deal with the scrutiny, almost pressure-cooker-like atmosphere that quickly surrounded it - I'd have to give each and every one of them a giant hug and thank them from the bottom of my heart. This film could have easily been a soulless, heartless, cynical shell with intellectual property stamped on top of it, but it isn't. It's obvious that everyone involved was well-versed in the source material, understands what made it work so well, and embraces each and every aspect. For the reasons that I don't think I enjoyed certain other big IP films because they exhibited a fundamental lack of understanding of the world, the constraints and perimeters of the storytelling, and the characters and voices that must inhabit the property - Ghostbusters excels. The heart and the soul that made the first two films fun, make you smile, make you laugh, and just all-around get you excited about a fantastical world that's just out of reach are all present here.

It's a shame that it's taken so long for this film to happen, because it's a love-letter to the hard work of those that came before, I know there are several people that are no longer with us that would have loved to have seen it. And I know that after all of the struggle, after all of the red tape, after the huge mountain it took to climb to get a property like Ghostbusters back on the silver screen, they'd share the same sentiment that I do right now...

The future is bright for the Ghostbusters franchise. And this movie is to thank.

Ghostbusters (2016) Trailer 6 and International Trailer 2 Arrive

Early this morning, Sony Pictures debuted what's being referred to as "Trailer 6" (what was trailer 5? I'm unsure and still trying to work that out). But it's a solid trailer that really gets back to what this film should be, it's not a big summer action movie, it's a comedy that crosses genres and that exactly what you get from this trailer. Great to hear Ray Parker Jr.'s theme intertwined with the remix that's been featured throughout the rest of the marketing campaign, some definite highlight moments in here as well.

Full thoughts coming on a Cyclotron and several Crossrip episodes to be sure, but check out the new trailer now!

As of now, it's only available through the official Ghostbusters Twitter and Facebook, but we'll embed HD links as soon as we have 'em!

Update: still not able to embed the official videos here. But thanks to KinoCheck here are the domestic "Trailer 6" and the new second international trailer released on the Friday following:

Sony and Ghost Corps Open the Gates to a Lucky Few

The big story today is, quite obviously, the first Ghostbusters trailer in nearly thirty years. Once again the familiar tones of Ray Parker Jr.'s iconic theme, the familiar sights, the jump scares, and the laughs are on the big screen and it's a glorious thing.

What might be buried under the lead today is the tremendous branch that Sony and the newly-formed Ivan Reitman production company Ghost Corps extended to a select few fans, and the great lengths they went to make a memorable day for them. It's unfortunate that not everyone was able to attend, but when I refer to a select few there was still quite a gathering of fans from all around the country that were given a rare pass inside the gates of the Sony Pictures Studios, allowed to view the trailer with select members of the press in advance, and get to meet and thank some of their heroes - who were just as thankful and gracious in return.

The morning on Wednesday was chaotic, a very complicated press and marketing day with a lot of moving parts that, make no mistake, usually does not accompany a trailer launch but rather the proper premiere of the film. But the chaos was good natured, more of a buzz of excitement rather than an uncomfortable clutter. As fans arrived, some having driven through the night and the wee hours of the morning to make a 9am arrival time, they walked onto the studio lot and immediately caught a glimpse not just of the original 1959 Caddy Ectomobile, but its new "modern" counterpart waiting in the courtyard during their walk. It wasn't uncommon during that walk to hear gasps, backpacks and purses drop to the floor, and Ghostheads in full regalia go running toward the cars and immediately start posing for photo opportunities.

Sony laid out a spread of props, coffee and pastries for the fans and the press as they waited - many fans who have have discussed so many topics at so much length over the internet for years but were only meeting in person for the very first time. I have to admit, in the years that I've spent covering Ghostbusters and trying to be an industrious member of the community, I've been somewhat of a hermit in social gatherings and meeting people "IRL" as the kids say. Do they still say that? Whatever, it's irrelevant, Sony's Cary Grant theater quickly became overrun by flight suits, proton packs, and a whole lot of smiles.

Everyone was led into the theater and seated - fans were placed in the front rows, proton packs were catered to with care, and Ivan Reitman was up first to greet everyone and introduce Paul Feig. After quick introductions everyone was treated to the trailer...

I was so thankful that when fans chanted "one more time" because I was so overwhelmed with the first viewing of the trailer - after all this time, after all this waiting, it was too much of a blur to completely comprehend. A surreal experience where, by the time you realize you're watching a new Ghostbusters trailer, you're looking at the end sell cards at its tail. On the second viewing, I was able to have more of a genuine reaction (something that happened as well in watching The Force Awakens over the holidays, you're able to absorb more on the second viewing after so much anticipation).

Following the trailer viewing, a Q&A discussion with Ivan Reitman, Paul Feig and writer Katie Dippold commenced. It was a lively conversation, with so many great details that were revealed about the production process and the things that we've yet to still see. That entire discussion will be heard as a bonus episode of the Interdimensional Crossrip tomorrow.

The theatrical presentation came to a close and everyone flooded into the walkways of the lot outside, and back to the comfort of Ghost Corps' front yard which houses both Ectomobiles. Group photos were taken, autographs were signed, interviews for EPK, the Ghostheads documentary, and several other outlets were completed. And then Reitman took a position at the top of the stairs to the Grant Building and held court, presenting the franchises with certificates of their registration with Ghost Corps, shaking their hands, and posing for photos. After all of the certificates were handed out, more photos were taken and the crowd started to disperse. Paul Feig shook so many hands, graciously thanked everyone, and signed as many autographs as he could before his representatives shooed him away. During the Q&A, he made a point to talk about seeing the original Ghostbusters film for the first time and how much it impacted him. His love for the film, especially for all of the technology, is abundantly clear in the trailer and how he speaks of the film to come, and certainly was evident in the energy and enthusiasm he had for all of the fans on site.

That event in and of itself would have been extremely generous of all involved, but that's not where the day ended. Fans were then invited into a dining area near the theater for a catered lunch that featured themed foods and of course, gourmet Twinkies for dessert. As fans sat at giant roundtables and discussed everything that had just occurred (some lively discussions, some more tempered as exhaustion began to set in for some of those who had been up through the night), the room buzzed again as Ivan Reitman stepped in and went from table to table to have quick quality chats with each. As he sipped his coffee and the fans ate, they talked about the new film, the future of the franchise, and even shared laughs over how his other films like Meatballs were responsible for so many childhoods.

As shuttles and cars began to leave and the crowd thinned, the smiles were still present. It truly was a wonderful day in which the warmth, the love, and the respect between everyone involved was incredibly evident and it once again was clear that the fans are coming first. With so many dedicated fans, so many franchises, and so many active members of the community, not everyone could be included - but the gesture on the part of the studio and the production company was enormous and most likely only the first indication of many more things to come, in which I'm sure a greater number will be able to feel the love.

Ghostbusters (2016) Official Trailer Release

Scientists armed with nuclear accelerators, jump scares, a ridiculous amount of technology, and the Power of Patty Compelling You! It's all here in the first official trailer for the new Ghostbusters film. Stop reading this now and watch this puppy over and over with the sound cranked and get ready for an Interdimensional Crossrip roundtable in the Cyclotron in a bit with an awesome panel of guests to discuss!

A February 14th to Remember

In what will probably be the first of many eventful days to come surrounding the release of Ghostbusters (2016), Sunday February 14th proved to be quite eventful for Ghostbusters fans. Far from the end of the world that Elaine once predicted on World of the Psychic, February 14th was instead filled with the promise of future releases down the line that are tantalizing and intriguing.

Trailer and Poster Release

In the early morning hours Sunday, immediately following the west coast airing of Saturday Night Live, Ghostbusters (2016) Director Paul Feig updated his Twitter profile photo with "The End is Nigh." The switching of Feig's Twitter avatar photo has become something fairly common as it has revealed first-looks at LEGO tie-ins and props the fan community has anxiously been awaiting to see for the first time. 

Embedded in light font at the bottom of profile photo was a bit.ly shortened link (with a numerical value that's a cheeky reference to the 09:17 running time in Ghostbusters II when Elaine makes her admission of alien encounter resulting in a date for the end of the world). Typing in that link sent fans to YouTube where they were met with a Trailer Announcement that, not only gives us our first look at footage from the actual forthcoming film, but announces that a full trailer will be released on 3/3/16.

Shortly after the video made rounds around social networks and movie blogs, a new one-sheet poster was revealed. The poster is similar in style and tone to the original Ghostbusters teaser poster from 1984 that proclaimed they were "Coming to Save the World." The new one-sheet also features the same redesigned No-Ghost logo that was unveiled at the tail end of the Trailer Announcement, which presumably will continue to act as the main logo for the film's marketing from this point forward.

Toy Fair 

It comes as no surprise that the marketing blitz starting a few months out from the film's release also happens to coincide with the Toy Industry Association's annual International Toy Fair held in New York City this weekend. Mattel, Funko, Cryptozoic, Diamond Select, NECA, and several others have unveiled their merchandise planned for the next year including action figures, housewares, and a whole lot more. The products range from those specifically tied to the Ghostbusters (2016) release to those still modeled after the "Classic" Ghostbusters. Details in the products also give hints of what is to come in the upcoming film, including what is believed to be the reveal of the new main villain, so beware spoilers in the below gallery are abound. (All photos courtesy of ToyArk).

Ghostbusters (2016) Character Posters Revealed

Hot on the heels of releasing a teaser image directly to the fans through Proton Charging, Sony tasked Time, People, InStyle, and Entertainment Weekly with posting four new individual character one-sheets today for July's Ghostbusters (2016) that are absolutely impressive to say the least. These outstanding images highlight each of the four new 'busters, and get us a nice close-up look at some of the gear for the first time as well (including what we here at the HQ assume is the new PKE Meter in the one-sheet for Leslie Jones/"Patty").

Stay tuned, hopefully hi-res versions of these to follow... and perhaps still a trailer?

Fans Get an Exclusive First-Look at the New Ghostbusters

Very, very early this morning, Chris at Proton Charging posted up an exclusive photo from the new Ghostbusters (2016) provided by the good folks at Sony as a first-look to the fans from, what we can assume is a location that will be seen in the film. It's a great image with a whole lot of attitude as the four new 'busters stand in a very New York art-deco looking locale. And, aside from the single group photo of the gang in front of the Chinese Restaurant during production, is the first official look of all four of the new cast together.

Still no word on a trailer, but one can assume it's still on the way. But in the meantime, this is a great sneak peek of things to come and a great gesture from Sony Pictures to send it to the fans first before it hits the mainstream.

UPDATE: Later in the day, an alternative shot, a little wider and with the actors posed slightly differently was released. This one gives you a better sense of scope that the image from this morning (look at the detail in that set). 

The Crossrip Chats "Get Real #4" and Beyond with Dan Schoening

Another jam-packed episode of the Interdimensional Crossrip podcast hit the airwaves this morning. First up, a brief tribute to a fallen friend Ryan Kemp by Chris, then the latest news, and an interview with Ryan Doell and IDW Comics artist Dan Schoening. With the New York Comic-Con 2015 all wrapped up, we fittingly have a double-stuffed show to talk quite a bit about IDW's Ghostbusters Get Real and its conclusion.

Also this week: brand new Ghostbusters shoes, Michael C. Gross Day and appreciation, that Rick Moranis interview that everyone is talking about, a new Paul Feig interview where he discusses casting Chris Hemsworth, LEGO Dimensions, Anovos is going to be selling Ghostbusters-related props, oh and there might be a Ghostbusters animated film in the hopper?

Listen to the episode here on the HQ, subscribe through iTunes, listen on Stitcher, or use your podcasting app of choice and subscribe to our RSS feed!

That's a Wrap on Ghostbusters (2016)

As of today, the 2016 revival of Ghostbusters directed by Paul Feig is calling a principal photography wrap in Boston. A 60 to 70 day production schedule that began on June 18th has come to a close after what sounds like a hectic but entertaining shoot in Boston and New York City.

The past two weeks have seen a splinter 2nd Unit crew out in New York City shooting what appear to be driving sequences and chase sequences with follow cars (including a fantastic looking "Russian Arm" camera mounted to a Porsche as well as a three-wheel camera vehicle presumably used to slalom between cars while filming) while the main unit continued shooting at Stonehurst, a country estate in Massachusetts originally built in 1886.

Now begins the race to the finish process of editorial, visual effects, sound design and mixing, and scoring - perhaps with some pickup shooting and any additional visual effects shooting needed to complete certain shots. Curiously, a lead editor's name hasn't popped up on anyone's radar (at least, out in the public) - though knowing Feig's loyalty to working with his same crew seems to be holding true with Ghostbusters, my assumption is editor Brent White (Spy, The Heat, Anchorman 2, Step Brothers, 40-Year-Old Virgin, among others) has already been manning the AVID during production and working on an assembly while the crew has been filming. A film composer also hasn't officially been released to the public, but (for those of you who haven't been listening to the Interdimensional Crossrip podcast) Chris of Proton Charging has surmised that Henry Jackman (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Big Hero 6, Wreck-It Ralph) might have been hired for scoring duty on the film because of an ASCAP registration in his name for Ghostbusters.

With a July 15th release date, you'd have to assume preview screenings and test screenings should be right around the corner as well to give the production time to get feedback from general audiences and make any necessary changes before the big Summer release. And of course, thanks to a Paul Feig Tweet during his IMDb Q&A session, we know that we'll be seeing a teaser trailer for the film before 2015 comes to an end (and again, for those not listening to the Interdimensional Crossrip, we would assume the trailer would be attached to either of Sony's two remaining event tentpole films Goosebumps on October 16th or Spectre on November 5th). Here's hoping that teaser is more than just a logo reveal and shows off a little bit of Robert Yeoman's cinematography and a solid joke or two.

What's in store for us here on Ghostbusters HQ in terms of Ghostbusters (2016) now that the news cycle is going to slow, at least until the marketing and media blitz to come next Summer? We're hard at work on several articles profiling the cast and crew of the new Ghostbusters film so that you can familiarize yourself with their work and background going into the film. And of course, Mondays will see the release of the Interdimensional Crossrip podcast where fun things related to the film are in the works.

Let the countdown to release day begin!

The New Ectomobile

Mere hours after multiple announcements that Andy Garcia, Michael K. Williams, Matt Walsh and Neil Casey would be joining the main cast in Ghostbusters (2016), Paul Feig jumped on Twitter to give us our first look at the Ghostbusters (2016) incarnation of the Ectomobile. Still maintaining the Hearse lineage of the 1984 incarnation, I'm no car guy but the vehicle appears to be a circa-1980s Cadillac Hearse. A good portion of the roof rack appears to be inspired by the 1984 film but the lightbars have been replaced with a giant yellow strobe light. I especially love the replaced hood ornament of what looks to be a silver ghost.

The other good news for prop replica enthusiasts is that this era Hearse might be a more readily available automobile for purchase and conversion rather than the rare 1959 Miller Meteor Caddy made famous by the original movie. I've got a 1979 Cadillac DeVille in the garage that might be ready for conversion... what are the odds?

UPDATE: Feig also posted the rear (and presumably) the original unmodified version of the car to his Twitter shortly after the initial unveiling.

Dissecting the New Proton Pack Design

The hits just keep right on coming... if anyone was worried that the Ghostbusters (2016) props might take a bit of a sleek Jonny Ive Apple modernized look, Paul Feig once again took to Twitter today to reveal the (presumably unlicensed) nuclear accelerators that his characters will be wearing in the film.

Right off the bat, I love that it still looks like something cobbled together on a run to a hardware/tech junkyard in Burbank, CA would have yielded. It's analog with a few very rudimentary digital touches and still maintains some of the structural elements from the original proton pack design like the cyclotron, what looks like an n-filter buried underneath an automobile inspired roll-bar. There's also what appears to be a new carrying handle built into the bottom of the pack, my guess is to assist in pulling it out of a vehicle, or pulling it off a rack. The blue meter at top left has been replaced with a digital dot-matrix read-out which makes sense for more accurate power readings. The only thing that feels a little missing are some red circulating lights around the cyclotron, something to give the main body of the pack some life. But perhaps that's an element still to be seen.

Interesting to note that the nuclear symbol in the top left corner has a small heart on it, it feels like a bit of a WWII bomber touch to this particular pack, wondering if each of the packs will have a customized feel like the Colonial Marines' armor in James Cameron's Aliens? 

The new design element that I'm completely over the moon about is actually the particle thrower itself. It maintains a similar silhouette as its predecessor but feels a little more raw, metallic elements showing and cabling unshielded where some corrugated tubing would usually keep everything tucked in neatly. The end of the wand has almost a flame-thrower feel to it as opposed to the frosted glass in the original pack which makes it feel a little more dangerous and a whole lot more like a weapon. A very interesting stylistic choice.

With the uniforms glimpsed yesterday, and the packs revealed today, I'm wondering if a full costumed shot of the main cast isn't far behind? Stay tuned.

Ghostbusters Production: End of (A Short) Week One

Throw a stone across the internet and you've probably seen the spy photos (sorry, per our guidelines we won't be posting them here) but the first day of filming on Paul Feig's Ghostbusters (2016) started yesterday out in the open on location at the Old Everett High School, appropriately located in Everett, MA.

The school was heavily featured as a filming location in Adam Sandler's That's My Boy and Jake Kasdan's Sex Tape and apparently in Ghostbusters seems to be doubling as Higgins Science Institute in the Bronx, that in the film's universe also used to be a middle school. At the beginning of the day, Kristen Wiig was seen wearing a scholarly wardrobe walking toward the school while students duked it out in the parking lot (maybe a little angry mood slime effecting behavior?) Stars Kate McKinnon and Melissa McCarthy were seen hurriedly rushing around the school with techno-gak in tow, including what appeared to be a server hard drive and a mysterious bag with a nuclear warning label on it. Judging by the contents in their hands and the rate at which they were traveling, are they fleeing with their research, or on their way to urgently assist? Only time will tell on that one. Production moved indoors to film interiors on Friday, and the veil of secrecy was once again lifted.

Getting the most traction among the buzz after day one of filming is McKinnon's costume, seen here recreated by outstanding IDW comic artist Dan Schoening. I think many are mistakenly believing her to be a pseudo-Egon in Real Ghostbusters but we might be seeing the personification of an untraditional scientist that many might be too easy to dismiss as a crackpot. "You regard science as some sort of dodge, or hustle," from the first film comes to mind.

Not much is known about the characters that the four main leads will be portraying but if the exterior filming on Thursday was any indication, McKinnon's character will be the colorful character to the more straight-laced Wiig and McCarthy.

According to posted filming notices around the area, the production will be back after the weekend break to film at the location into next week, then presumably will be moving on to another location or to the soundstages in the days following. It was definitely a thrill both to fans online monitoring the filming and to those in the Everett area that came to watch filming, and a rarity for a production to begin under the sun and out among the public giving us a quick glimpse of what's to come right out of the gate - something the currently in production DC Comics villain showpiece Suicide Squad also was subjected to in its first few days of filming as well.

It's Slime Time (And What/How Production Will Be Covered on GBHQ)

Production on Paul Feig's Ghostbusters (2016) begins this evening (with a night shoot to kick off production, may the caffeine gods bless the crew). Feig took to Twitter to post the above photograph to announce the production start, giving fans their first sneak peek at the infamous ectoplasm which is safely assumed a big part of the film. 

It's probably a good idea to take this moment on day one to lay out a few ground rules of what you'll be seeing here on the HQ, and when and how...

1) No spy photos, no rumors, no spoilers.

As you may have gathered in the few months that we've been back in business, GBHQ is no longer mainly a news site. Breaking news isn't our bag, and the first for a scoop isn't remotely a part of our mission statement. I'm still a firm believer it letting the filmmakers and the studio handle what you see and why as it ultimately can and might impact your viewing experience when the film hits the theaters. Unlit, uncomposed, long-lens spy photos that are your first looks of things drive me nuts. If a drone flies 100 yards above the set and snaps the first pictures of a new Ecto-1 or a crucial part of the production but it's not from official sources, don't expect to see it here.

2) We ARE going to be getting you in-depth articles, making-of/BTS moments, and official news as much as possible.

Those of you that have been around GBHQ since the glory days (or were they the dark days?) remember how we covered Extreme Ghostbusters. It's a little tricky as cast and crew are all under NDAs and I above all respect those. It'll be our goal to get you meaty content that's NDA-friendly and might give a little insight into the production process.

3) Trolls should stick to scouring New York City to breakdance and party.

GBHQ has a pretty civil commenting guideline set that aren't really conducive to feeding the trolls. For whatever reason, there are a lot of (very vocal) angry comments out there. People are entitled to their opinions, just as I'm entitled to mine. So while you're sitting in my living room, take off your shoes and please mind the rules of the house. Thanks.

An Open Letter to Me Circa 1997...

File Photo: Troy, Embarrassingly circa-1999.

Dear Troy,

Hey, it's yourself from the future. Take a minute from trying to reconnect to AOL after your parents picked up the phone and kicked you offline to read this for a quick second.

Today is Wednesday, June 17, 2015. I know that date has to seem pretty crazy to you, and to answer your first question: no. Cars don't fly yet. It's kind of bullshit, sorry. But I wanted to send you a letter from this date today to let you know that a new Ghostbusters movie is finally in front of cameras as of today.

Let's see... being 1997 you're probably super excited about Extreme Ghostbusters right about now.  If my records are right, you're probably hearing rumors that Adam Sandler, Chris Farley and Chris Rock are circling being a part of a new Ghostbusters film. But some heartbreak is on the way as you're soon going to tragically lose Farley, and several years later are going to lose a few other people that will break your heart too.

I'm not going to lie to you, the next eighteen years are going to be a little tumultuous in terms of your love for a certain property called Ghostbusters. There are going to be false starts, multiple casting rumors, and plenty of head scratchers between the time you're reading this to the time that a new movie is actually becoming a reality. You're going to hear rumors that make you geek out like you never have before, then there'll be rumors that will make you squint and ask nobody in particular, "Wha?" But ultimately what Paul Feig and the cast he's assembled for this film almost twenty years later from the date you receive this is the only way that it can be done. 

Take careful notice of a movie called Blues Brothers 2000 that's going to come out next year. You and your good friend Drew are going to go see it and, while both of you are going to want to immediately buy Ray-Ban sunglasses because you think they're cool, you're not going to be over the moon about the movie. You're going to notice that the filmmakers made some concessions in order to get the movie made, but ultimately what you're going to notice is that the story is continuing the storytelling of characters that aren't there, and can't be there for many reasons. And it's going to feel odd. It's going to feel like a Beethoven Symphony where a piano wasn't available for scheduling purposes. The music is still good, but you can't help but feel that something crucial is missing.

What the production crew filming in Boston, then later in New York are working on is a retelling. Sort of like what the original Ghostbusters was to those Bob Hope films it so lovingly paid homage toward. I'm sure you're a little disappointed that this isn't the sixth movie in an ongoing story but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's extremely funny people in front and behind the camera, just as there was back then. It kind of sucks but there's going to be a lot of attention paid to the gender and the weight of some of the actors, a result of the strange snarky judgmental cacophony that pop culture becomes in the internet age. (Yeah, that's also something that you're going to find... your tried and true entertainment news sources are going to turn into gossip tabloids, and the internet is going to turn into a bunch of blogs - including yours - that feed people the news so that they can be upset about anything and everything down to the tiniest detail, it's really tough to explain and I'll have to save that for another letter to you when I can explain it myself).

There's a good chance that you may not like the end result of what they're doing starting today. But then again, there's also a good chance that it'll entertain you. You'll have just seen a fourth (yes, fourth) Jurassic Park movie in the same week that filming begins on Paul Feig's Ghostbusters (2016) and it's going to put things in perspective. Nothing can really ever be as good as the lightning in a bottle that was captured in that 1984 film. To think that you can recreate that is foolishness. But if there's a way to recapture the spirit of what made the original so fun and put it into a two-hour film that you enjoy, that makes you forget about the real world outside that movie theater for a couple hours, and makes you feel like a kid again, then it's all going to be worth the effort of the filmmakers.

But while you're watching that Jurassic Park sequel, there's going to be a little girl sitting no more than six seats down from you. She's going to be standing and jumping up and down (much to the dismay of her parents trying to control her), bonkers excited for the movie to start. She's going to be scared during some of the scarier moments, and she's going to leave the theater making dinosaur noises and begging her parents to see the film again. And for her, that movie is going to be a similar ride as when you were sitting by yourself in a darkened Greenwood Village theater in 1992, and is going to have the same impact.

There's a good chance this new Ghostbusters is going to do the same. It's going to capture the imaginations of an entirely new generation that's too young to moan and groan about the good old days or how they think the movie could have been done far differently and been successful. It might not have the same effect on you as those original movies did when you were a kid, but it might have a similar effect on someone that twenty years from now will be writing a similar letter to their past self.

If they're smart about it, and I'm fairly certain and confident that they are, Feig and Co. are going to make that movie for both of those audiences in mind. A movie for the new generation that's a little too young to get all the jokes but loves the premise and their imaginations are sparked with the possibilities. And a movie for you, the thirty-something (yeah, you become a thirty-something... spoiler-alert) who gets the jokes and just needs to escape for a couple hours.

Hang in there pal, it's all going to be worth it eventually.

Best,

The Troy of 2015

PS: Oh yeah, before I forget: there's going to be a guy offering you a pre-order for a hardcover comic book at some in the next couple years... don't do it.

He Also Enjoys Racquetball

Yesterday Paul Feig stayed true to his pattern of Ghostbusters announcements and posted a picture to Twitter of the Ghostbusters' new receptionist, in the form of Chris Hemsworth.

At risk of cribbing a phrase from one of the characters in our beloved series... this is great.

According to Variety, the role was initially offered to Hemsworth who passed because the role was on the smaller side. But a rewrite later and the actor most well-known as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was locked in as a character we only know as "the receptionist." While most fans are immediately drawing lines and comparisons to Janine Melnitz, it stands to reason that this character won't share much in common with his 1980s counterpart other than their chosen profession. The fact that the filmmakers actively pursued him and tailored the role to him is of interest. Maybe they've seen his turn in the new Vacation film and what they saw showed a lot of comedic promise?

For me, Hemsworth absolutely made Thor. What surprised me most about that film was just how much it made me laugh, from chucking a coffee cup toward the floor in the diner to sharing a boilermaker with Dr. Selvig, Hemsworth exudes a genuine charm and charisma that you can see playing well with the other leads in Ghostbusters (2016). 

There's also a chance Hemsworth might be trying his hand at being a character actor, and we'll see an entirely different side to him than we've seen before as well. At this point, the sky is the limit and who knows where this is going to go. And that's what I'm enjoying the most about this project. The potential. Much like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I don't know what to expect with this film. And with those unlimited possibilities, that's exciting.

Feig's Ghostbusters Crew Gets a Little Larger

With principal photography right around the corner, details on Paul Feig's Ghostbusters (2016) crew are slowly beginning to surface around the interwebs. About a month ago, we at GBHQ thought it would be fun to speculate on who might be joining Paul Feig behind the camera to bring a retold Ghostbusters to life.

And I'm happy to report, several of those folks on our wishlist seem to be involved. So let's get into it, eh?

Robert Yeoman
Director of Photography

One of the creative members of Feig's crew that I'm most excited is aboard is cinematographer Robert Yeoman, a long-time contributor to Wes Anderson's films but also a master of vibrant landscapes and stylized imagery. Say what you will about the 1990 Nintendo commercial The Wizard but it's a love-letter to a road trip to California. Imagine what his compositions will do for the city of New York when the supernatural run rampant? I had initially thought Yeoman's prior obligations might have put him out of the running for Director of Photography on Ghostbusters, but it appears the planets aligned and he'll be in Boston this June.

Jefferson Sage
Production Designer

No surprise that Paul Feig's longtime production designer Jefferson Sage will be helping guide the visual aesthetic for Ghostbusters, having worked with the director on all his previous films (Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy) as well as the broad comedies Year One (directed by Harold Ramis) and Paul (directed by Greg Mottola). What is interesting is that joining Sage in the art department are Supervising Art Director Beat Frutiger (Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Star Trek, Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Art Director Lorin Flemming (Running with Scissors, the upcoming Spectral and Batman v. Superman Dawn of Justice) and set designer Steven M. Saylor, who has designed a wide variety and scope of sets from Alias to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

David Witz
Unit Production Manager

No stranger to large films with a lot of moving parts, UPM David Witz was the battalion leader on films such as J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, the recent Sony film Pixels, Moneyball, Gone Girl and Mission Impossible: III. 

Great news all around, there's one heckuva creative team assembling to begin filming in Boston. More to come as it develops here at GBHQ.

A Little Ghostbusters Crew Speculation While All's Quiet on the Western Front

After the onslaught of news over the course of a couple weeks, a quiet has hushed across the usually bustling interweb landscape when it comes to Ghostbusters (2016) news and rumors. And thankfully, it's a calm before the storm that I'm sure is very welcome both for us fans as well as for the production crew as they prepare for principal photography.

With a June 15 production start date in the near-distant future, one would assume pre-production on Paul Feig's Ghostbusters revamp is well underway. With just about 11 weeks before cameras roll, set and prop construction should be ramping up. It also appears that Paul Feig is still out and about on his press tour for the June 5 release of Spy, with his travels taking the director to an advance Q&A screening of the film in Chicago tonight. That's got to be a tough-going schedule for Feig, as the world-tour press circuit and Spy's release date being a mere week and a half before day one on Ghostbusters affords him little breathing room.

Production Manager David Witz (Gone Girl, Star Trek, and Mission: Impossible III) has joined Ghostbusters according to Production Weekly, which means that full crew hopping onto the production can't be far behind. If IMDB is to be believed the first of those crew members, Nancy St. John (and her company Prime Focus) have boarded the new Ghostbusters in some capacity, either to provide a 3D conversion to the film or as one of (what I can only assume will be) the multiple visual effects houses brought on-board the film. This brings up an interesting question, will Feig be filming Ghostbusters in native 3D? Or will the film be converted for the third-dimension in post-production?

While 3D cinema-going has grown on me, there's a big part of me that hopes the film will be shot 2D (and on film) and then gets the stereo 3D treatment after the fact. As evidenced by the recent remastered Blu-ray release of the original 1984 film, there's something about this concept that lends itself to a little bit of a gritty film-grain look. 

To that point, my hope is that long-time collaborator and Oscar-nominated Cinematographer Robert Yeoman will be joining Feig on Ghostbusters, as he has on the director's three previous films, Spy, The Heat and Bridesmaids. His unique visual style will be perfect for the fantastical world of Ghostbusters that's on the horizon. Whether that will be the case or not remains to be seen as it also appears that Yeoman is attached to Peyton Reed (Ant-Man)'s upcoming film Staying Cool. The productions may overlap making Yeoman's participation in the project difficult if not impossible.

Another big part of the film's look and feel, will be its Production Designer. Jefferson Sage has been at the forefront as the Production Designer on Feig's last three films as well as Paul and Year One and also acted as Art Director on Analyze This. Legendary Production Designers John DeCuir (Ghostbusters, Cleopatra, South Pacific) and Bo Welch (Ghostbusters II, Batman Returns, Thor, Joe vs. the Volcano) are tough acts to follow but Sage most certainly has the chops to create some memorable set-pieces with a comedic edge.

Yes, all of the above is purely speculation. And I imagine it's only a matter of time before we start seeing and hearing of cast/crew commitments to the June 15th release date. But it's fun to start visualizing what might be in store once those puzzle pieces start coming together.

The New Ghostbusters Films: Just the Facts

All this editorializing keeps our hair up, right Joe?

"All-female" and "Guy-centric" Ghostbusters. Chances are if you've thrown a rock at the internet lately, you've seen either of those terms in every headline you've come across. But both of those distinctions were given to the upcoming Ghostbusters sequel/reboot/remake/restarts by editorialized comments beginning at their points of origin.

So let's do something, shall we? Let's take a cue from another of Dan Akyroyd's characters that I adore and stick to just the facts... No anonymous sources, no "speculation," no snarky comments. 

Here are the direct quotes from those involved without any editorializing:

October 8, 2014 c/o Paul Feig Twitter - Feig announces he is making a new film. Note, he says "will star hilarious women."

October 8, 2014 - c/o Entertainment Weekly - Feig elaborates on his Tweet directly to EW, in his own words.

"I had been contacted by Sony and Ivan a number of months ago when I was in Budapest shooting my new movie Spy. But I was like, I don’t know if I want to take that on because the first two are such classics and just because of how do you do it? Who do you bring in now that Harold’s gone? I know that Bill didn’t want to do it and I love Dan, but it was just like I don’t know how to do it.  Then I had lunch with [Sony Pictures co-chairman] Amy Pascal when I got back to town. She was just saying, gosh, nobody wants to do this. I said, yeah, it’s really hard to take that on, especially since it’s 25 years later. how do you come back into a world that’s had these ghosts and all this? It just felt too difficult. How do you do it and not screw it up? But then it was bugging me for the next few days because Ghostbusters is such a great thing and everybody knows it, and it’s such a great world. It’s a shame to just let this thing sit there. I want to see another one. My favorite thing to do is work with funny women. I was like, what if it was an all female cast? If they were all women?  Suddenly, my mind kind of exploded: that would be really fun. And then I thought, well, what if we just make it new? It’s not coming into the world that existed before. It’s always hard if the world has gone through this big ghost attack, how do you do it again? I wanted to come into our world where there’s talk of ghosts but they’re not really credible, and so what would happen in our world if this happened today?"
"We want to have fun with giving nods to what came before, but we don’t want to be bound by it because Katie and I already have talked at length and we have really fun ideas for things. But we want to tell the stories that we would like to tell, which means we want to tell the character arcs that we want to tell, which means we want to start with some of our characters in a different place or with different personalities and things they have to overcome and learn through the experience of this first movie. My number one thing is always about character and what is somebody learning from or transforming through whatever happens to them in the movie. So I think there will be definitely room to play with that. We want to do clever nods to it, but not cloying nods to it. We want to have the ability to really bring it into modern day."
"We have a very rough, rough outline that we’re working with, but definitely know the basic story, know what we want the basic characters to do, know what we want the world to do and what the rules of our world are, but nothing I want to discuss obviously. It’s cool. I think it’s a really strong origin story that feels real—as real as a ghost story is. It’s going to be really fun and real. We’ll make it scary and funny."
"Everything is up for grabs right now. I look at this the same way a superhero movie launches where it’s always fun to see, like, what are they going to do with the costumes this time? What are they going to do with the hardware this time? It’s not going to be, here is the exact same stuff. It’s also not going to go, screw you, if you like that stuff, it’s all completely different. We’re going to have fun with it, but again, bring it into our time period. I’m a big hardware nerd when it comes to sci-fi and all of that so I love all the gear and I love all that. We’re really going to have fun with playing with the science of it. I think fans will be very happy with what we do because it has fun with what came before but it’s new. It’s just a new, fun take on it."
"I just don’t understand why it’s ever an issue anymore. I’ve promoted both Bridesmaids and The Heat and myself and my cast are still hit constantly with the question, “will this answer the question of whether women can be funny?” I really cannot believe we’re still having this conversation. Some people accused it of kind of being a gimmick and it’s like, it would be a gimmick if I wasn’t somebody whose brain doesn’t automatically go to like, I want to just do more stuff with women. I just find funny women so great. For me it’s just more of a no-brainer. I just go, what would make me excited to do it? I go: four female Ghostbusters to me is really fun. I want to see that dynamic. I want to see that energy and that type of comedy and them going up against these ghosts and going up against human detractors and rivals and that kind of thing. When people accuse it of being a gimmick I go, why is a movie starring women considered a gimmick and a movie starring men is just a normal movie?"
"At the end of the day, all we want to make is a great movie and people are going to attach a lot of energy to either being nervous about this or being excited about it, and all Katie and I and the rest of the team, who we slowly assemble, can do is just make a great movie that’s super funny, that’s scary, that’s real, that has great characters that people identify with and want to see in these situations. It’s a world that they’ve experienced before in the old ones, but the hope is the minute they sit down they’ll go, “I love the old one, oh my god, I’m loving this new one.” Everything’s got to live on it’s own merits. It would be terrible if we just go, oh we’re just doing an update where we use the same dynamic and scripts. If we just flop four women into the exact same personalities and roles as original, then that’s lazy filmmaking on my behalf, and who wants to see that? I don’t want to do a shot by shot update of a movie that existed. It’s the difficult thing about remaking a great movie. So that’s why we’re not remaking a great movie. We’re doing our take on it."

January 15, 2015 - c/o Empire Magazine - Paul Feig talks directly to Empire. In his own words:

"It came out publically that we’re in talks with Melissa but there’s a lot to work out."
"There’s a lot of haters and I get it. The problem with the internet is that if 500 really angry men start bombarding me, I think, ‘Oh god, everybody hates this movie,’ but then you realise that it’s only 500 people. I don’t block anyone out or not read that stuff because I want to know what the most hardcore hater fan’s problem is."
"A lot of people ask why I didn’t create my own thing but Ghostbusters never ran out of steam, it’s such a great idea. It’s such a fun franchise so why not bring it to a new generation? The old movie is never going to not exist. It’s not my plan to erase every copy! Hopefully they can all live together."
"We’ve been working on laptops and passing flash drives back and forth. It’s very old school. We’re using paper, god forbid."

January 27, 2015 - c/o Paul Feig Twitter - Note, this is not an official announcement. It is not confirmation. It is a photo presented by Feig without anecdote. 

January 27, 2015 - c/o Sony-run Sony Pictures Twitter. - Release date announced.

 

January 28, 2015 - c/o Dan Aykroyd direct statement to The Hollywood Reporter - Aykroyd's official press response toward any of the above. No specifics given.

"The Aykroyd family is delighted by this inheritance of the ‘Ghostbusters’ torch by these most magnificent women in comedy. My great grandfather, Dr. Sam Aykroyd, the original Ghostbuster, was a man who empowered women in his day, and this is a beautiful development in the legacy of our family business."

January 29, 2015 - c/o Ernie Hudson Twitter/Hollywood Reporter

"Four fiercely funny, foxy, females busting ghosts ... phenomenal!"

Hudson also retweeted a PR post referring to third-party rumors:

February 11, 2015 - c/o Paul Feig Twitter - Feig contacted me directly through my Ghostbusters HQ Twitter to clarify (and I'm comfortable posting this publicly now as it's been confirmed/printed in the Boston Globe).

February 17, 2015 - c/o Howard Stern Show - Dan Aykroyd appears as guest. In his own words transcribed from radio interview.

"I'm very, very happy. I've got three daughters. I'm all for female empowerment. The thing needed to be stripped down. (Stumbles) As I've said take the Ecto car. Well the Ecto car now has a chassis and wheels, it needs new engine, it needs a new body. I wrote a version of it which we may end up shooting one time. It'll be different than the all-female. But I did write a Ghostbusters 3 and it exists as a script."
"Paul Feig's script is funny."

February 24, 2015 - c/o Variety - Tom Rothman is hired as new Sony Chairman of Motion Pictures, replacing Amy Pascal. He does not specifically talk Ghostbusters but comments on franchises being his priority. In Rothman's own words:

"Every studio needs franchises. That was the case when we took over at Fox and that took time to build it up and it will take time here. It’s very important but it’s equally important to have a diverse slate of films that perform profitably."

March 9, 2015 - c/o Deadline - New production company formed called Ghost Corps. Note, direct quotes from article only. Also note, original article was mysteriously revised and corrected without any explanation late in the day March 9, 2015. Note, casting and/or movie release plan not discussed. Ghost Corps' mission statement, in Ivan Reitman's own words:

"We want to expand the Ghostbusters universe in ways that will include different films, TV shows, merchandise, all things that are part of modern filmed entertainment. This is a branded entertainment, a scary supernatural premise mixed with comedy. Paul Feig’s film will be the first version of that, shooting in June to come out in July 2016. He’s got four of the funniest women in the world, and there will be other surprises to come. The second film has a wonderful idea that builds on that. Drew will start writing and the hope is to be ready for the Russo Brothers’ next window next summer to shoot, with the movie coming out the following year. It’s just the beginning of what I hope will be a lot of wonderful movies. My primary focus will be to build the Ghostbusters into the universe it always promised it might become. The original film is beloved, as is the cast, and we hope to create films we will continue to love."
"Sometimes things happen at the speed they are supposed to happen. The deals were so strong on that second movie that the franchise became frozen in place 25 years. Nothing got done, we all had the power to block whatever we didn’t like, but we finally got together and found a way.”

March 10, 2015 - c/o writer Drew Pearce's Twitter. Direct comments and responses from Pearce in his own words:

March 13, 2015 - c/o Variety - Paul Feig discusses the various films directly with Variety. In his words:

“The Internet is really funny – I love it, but I hate it at the same time. The first wave when you make an announcement like that is overwhelmingly positive. Everyone’s so happy and you’re like, This is great. Then comes the second wave and you’re like, Oh my God. Some of the most vile, misogynistic sh** I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“The biggest thing I’ve heard for the last four months is, ‘Thanks for ruining my childhood.’ It’s going to be on my tombstone when I die. It’s so dramatic. Honestly, the only way I could ruin your childhood is if I got into a time machine and went back and made you an orphan.”
ON GHOST CORPS ANNOUNCEMENT: “I’d heard some rumblings about it. All I know is my ladies are going to kick ass and I would not want to go into battle without them.”

March 14, 2015 - c/o Drew Pearce Twitter and East Grinstead Online

“There are a ton of different kind of jobs in screenwriting and directing out here – the two ends of the scale being ‘assignments’ (usually bigger movies with a pre-existing brand) and ‘specs’ (usually original ideas that you have to write speculatively, without knowing if someone will pay you for it at the end of the process). With some of the bigger movies I’ve worked on – the next Mission Impossible, and the new Ghostbusters movie I’ve just started – your role is part of a team – it’s not a very authored experience, and you know that from the get-go. Then I’ve also got smaller, original ideas like The Long Run, a movie I’m hoping to direct later this year at Fox. Plus I secretly work as a script doctor on occasion, as favours to other filmmakers. That’s basically my job in a nutshell.”
“I’m actually writing a new take, which will star Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt, both of whom are brilliant and very nice chaps to boot. It’s a different kind of story, set in the same universe as the other movies, but following an entirely new group of Ghostbusters.”

MARCH 16, 2015 - c/o reuters AND INDIEWIRE AND COMICBOOK.COM - paul feig comments from sxsw festival at spy premiere. in his words:

"It's a giant franchise and it's a big world. I completely understand wanting to create this whole (franchise) just like 'Star Wars' has. But for me, all I can concentrate on is my ladies and how much we're going to kick ass."
RE: Bill Murray's Possible Involvement in His Film: "We are ready for him. If Bill will show up, Bill is more than welcome. Nothing would make us happier."
"There were plenty of angry tweets to me that thought I did. It was purely a creative decision. I'd been contacted starting last year when I was in production on 'Spy.' I was getting calls from Sony, Ivan Reitman called, they wanted to do a sequel and I was so flattered because I love the franchise so much and wanted it to come back. I just couldn't figure out how to do a sequel 25 years later where two of the original cast members weren't even going to be in it. I'd read the original scripts that had been written to try and do it -- some of my favorite comedy writers wrote those scripts, and they were really good scripts -- but something felt off. The math was off. 

So I kept saying no and then finally had lunch with Amy Pascal and she was just like, 'Why doesn't anybody want to do this movie? None of you comedy directors want to do this!' I went on this whole thing, this is a sacred cow, this thing we all grew up with and thought, 'I don't know how to do it.' But there's this great franchise sitting there, this great idea of funny people battling the paranormal. That's an awesome canvas to paint on. So I thought, if I had to do it, what would I do? The most obvious things are the last things you think about. And I thought, if I made them all women, then I know how to do that. I get excited about that. I can see the comedy and the fun in that. But are they their daughters? What's their thing? I want to see them develop the technology and I want to see the world confront ghosts for the first time and I thought, 'Let's just reboot it.' 

It was as simple as that. It was no more evil than that and there was all this feeling of this evil plotting, I've had things come at me like 'We're so tired of this PC bullshit.' This isn't PC! There's all these funny women; I'm trying to figure out how to get more women's ensembles together and get more of these people working and here it is. That's it."
"Jesus, there's so much. Just put in my address and look at the things that are addressed to me any day. The worst of it was always 'Women can't be 'Ghostbusters'!' This flat statement of 'this can't happen.' I always try to find the germ of logic and, look, for a lot of guys -- I was in my early 20s when I first saw it and I thought it was groundbreaking comedy -- who saw it when they were seven, eight, nine, they kind of grew up playing it so I think to them it's much more a way of life, like a religion."
"No comment on that [laughs]. It does become a bit of a religion for people, like 'Star Wars.' All of our favorite movies are religious icons to us, I try to be sensitive to that and so, guys, I get that but I'm not going to destroy those first two movies. I can't. I almost feel like it would possibly hurt them more if I did it as a direct sequel because it would almost back-poison the well. If you don't like what I end up doing, you can say, 'Well that was the new one. Fuck that. We have these other ones.' You can only do what inspires you and what you think will be fun and what you know how to do for an audience to make them laugh and have a good time. My intentions are nothing but pure."
"We start shooting June 15 so we're still punching up the script, doing heavy prep of designing all our effects and our ghosts and nailing down what we're going to shoot. It's fast approaching."
"I love the original ones so I want to do enough nods to it that the fans go 'Oh, okay they're aware of it! That's fun that they're twisting this and that!' But I also want to make it so that a new generation can make it their own too. We'll make references but blow past them and go toward our own thing; I want to keep the same tone and style but I want it to be even scarier just because I think with the way we can do stuff now, we can really have fun with making it creepier. Comedy and scares go really well together. The original was very scary and if you look at it now, you still have that, but there's a chance to go even further with it."
ON USING RAY PARKER JR.'S ORIGINAL THEME: "We have ways to bring it in that we're playing with, so we'll see. It's such an iconic thing that part of you goes, 'I don't want to change it,' but then another part of you wants to update it. It's one of the biggest questions we're faced with.""

Will continue to update with direct quotes and statements as they're made...

Update 1: 3/11/15 3:27pm - Corrected Tom Rothman title and Amy Pascal spelling. / Added Howard Stern quotes from Dan Aykroyd. / 6:40pm - Added Ernie Hudson response from 1/29/15

Update 2: 3/13/15 1:00pm - Added Paul Feig comments to Variety at SXSW

Update 3: 3/14/15 10:51am - Added additional Drew Pearce comments.

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