- Jennifer Lawrence admits she's met with Ghostbusters 3 director

Paul Feig's upcoming project will feature an all-female cast, and the new video shows the likes of Christian Bale, Jessica Chastain, Matthew McConaughey and more making their suggestions as to who should star.

Jennifer Lawrence also throws her two pence in, before revealing that she has had a meeting with Feig. Potential casting on the horizon?

- 'Ghostbusters' Reboot Eyes Melissa McCarthy to Star But Hurdles Remain

Columbia’s Ghostbusters reboot slowly is putting together its cast, starting with its poltergeist-punishing leading lady.

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Melissa McCarthy is in early talks to star in the female-focused reboot of the classic comedy, directed by The Heat and Bridesmaids helmer Paul Feig.

But there are several hurdles that need to be overcome before McCarthy can reteam with Feig for what would be their fourth movie together.

McCarthy has a very complicated schedule due to her CBS TV show, Mike & Molly, and an already pack movie slate. She is committed to shoot the Universal comedy Michelle Darnell, which is being directed by her husband and Tammy collaborator Ben Falcone.

But sources say that talks are underway that would see McCarthy, who became a movie star working with Feig in Bridesmaids, shoot Michelle Darnell in mid-March, allowing her then to shoot Ghostbusters in June.

Kind of a no brainer, at this point. Still crossing fingers for Fey.

Is there a narrative reason why it's all-female, or it it just "because women"?

If the remake talks are what we wind up with, then it's the same narrative reason as the original Ghostbusters. Three college pals start a business, decide to hire somebody they're comfortable with to round out the team. Just happens that the starting point is women instead of men. Same diff.

But the original wasn't bloated with "ALL MALE CAST" in its promotion. If you don't think there's an agenda then Stevie Wonder's less blind.

Forced diversity is getting really old, really fast.



IF it was Jeanine and Dana starting up their own troop, it would make sense from a narrative standpoint. This just screams "INDEPENDENT WOMEN".

Arbitrarily obsessing over gender goes both ways.

Sometimes men pal around and start a wacky paranormal janitor service. Sometimes women do it. Gender isn't really an issue as far as the material is concerned, and it's the material that matters. Of course, when you put the material over social axe grinding - it's disappointing that [it might be] a remake.


This has nothing to do with Ghostbusters. Don't make a habit of it.

- New All-Female 'Ghostbusters' Cast Chosen

Melissa McCarthy, who was already in talks for one of the leads, has signed on for the Paul Feig-directed reboot, and Sony is now negotiating with Kristen Wiig as well as Saturday Night Live players Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Negotiations are ongoing, but the quartet are expected to sign on as the specter-seeking, poltergeist-punishing, phantom-phollowing foursome in the reboot, which is eyeing a summer shoot in New York.

Casting feels like a downgrade from the prestige project it might've been.

I think the cast is fantastic. Everyone knows McCarthy and Wiig are hilarious, buy McKinnon its the funniest female on snl and Leslie Jones is freaking hilarious and hardcore. So excited!

Talk about a quick way to ruin a franchise.

- Dan Aykroyd: New 'Ghostbusters' Cast Is "Magnificent"

Original Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd, who also co-wrote the 1984 Ghostbusters film, couldn't be more pleased with the new all-female Ghostbusters cast, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "The Aykroyd family is delighted by this inheritance of the Ghostbusters torch by these most magnificent women in comedy."

Aykroyd's statement continued, "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.”

Look! 4 (women) pals from SNL to star Ghostbusters! They're ruined the franchise!!!

I think the casting of this is excellent. The only thing that's gonna possibly ruin this movie is the script and/or the execution of it.

Well if you're going to make a snarky comment directed at my post, you might as well at least go all the way and quote it.

By the way, I never even said the fact that its 4 women is what is wrong with the movie.

In fact, why does there need to be a third movie in the first place? Why is this all of a sudden a thing? Even if it was the original cast which can't be done anymore anyway now that Ramis is dead, it'd be crap. Why can't they just leave the franchise the way it is with the two movies, and whatever else they've made?

Is Hollywood REALLY out of ideas?


Christ.

- Dan Aykroyd still hopeful of turning his Ghostbusters 3 script into a future sequel

“There’s three drafts of the old concept that exists,” said Aykroyd on the Unmasked With Ron Bennington show. “And we’re going to be able to salvage some of it and use it. Yeah, we’re gonna be able to use it some day.”

“Let’s get this one made and that will reinvigorate the franchise and then we’ll go on to maybe doing a more conventional third sequel as we were planning and another idea I have for it.”

However, if that sounds as though Aykroyd is a little put out that Feig’s version has superseded his own, he goes on to scotch any such notion by pledging his support to the new film.

“I can tell you, as the originator, I’m very happy with what he’s done. It’s very tasteful. And it needed a reworking. The thing needed a new engine, you know? It needed new exhaust. It needed new steering. And this is what we’re getting.”

Dan "Never Say Die" Aykroyd. We salute you.

- Sony Plans New ‘Ghostbusters’ Film With Russo Brothers, Channing Tatum & ‘IM3′ Scribe Drew Pearce

Sony Pictures is broadening the Ghostbusters franchise and the first order of business will be an action-centric comedy that is a counterpart to the Paul Feig-directed film that will start production in June. The studio is simultaneously forming Ghostcorps, a new production company whose principals include original Ghostbusters architects Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd; they will have offices at Sony with the mission to scare up branding opportunities based on the 1984 comedy classic.

Reitman is putting the film with a powerhouse brain trust: Captain America: The Winter Soldier helmers Joe and Anthony Russo, who just made a first-look Sony deal and are looking to direct and produce this; Drew Pearce, the Iron Man 3 and Mission: Impossible 5 scribe who’ll write; and Channing Tatum and his partners Reid Carolin and Peter Kiernan, who are attached to produce. The hope is for Tatum to play one of the Ghostbusters in this film. Given his versatility and franchising success in 21 Jump Street and Magic Mike, he’s a good cornerstone to launch another Ghostbusters series. The idea came from Pearce, who honed it the Russo Brothers, Tatum’s team and Reitman.

And there you have it. A new, unfurling Ghostbusters film franchise.

I dunno about this "all male" gimmick, though. Just shoving "man power" down our throats in some sort of politically correct madness. Freakin manazis~!

- Exclusive: Melissa McCarthy talks Ghostbusters

“Oh my god, I cannot be more excited to reboot it,” says McCarthy. “I mean, I'm a huge Ghostbusters fan - who isn't? I've seen that movie, like, 50,000 times. I just introduced it to my two kids, who loved it.”

“To get to work on such a great thing with that group of women is a dream,” she continues. I've known Kristen [Wiig] forever, and I know Kate [McKinnon] and Leslie [Jones] from SNL, so it's just going to be a blast.”

And speaking of that cast, McCarthy is confident that she and her co-stars can give Feig’s reboot a totally fresh flavour...

“Absolutely. For sure. Yes because it's a female cast, but also because is going to put a really modern, current twist on it. It will be scary and have good action. He pulls from the classics but he's a very modern director. I truly believe they could not have picked a better director to launch that franchise.”

I like the enthusiasm. I don't see McCarthy as an issue.

- Chris Hemsworth Joins 'Ghostbusters' Reboot as Receptionist

Chris Hemsworth is joining the cast of Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters movie...as the receptionist.

Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon are starring as the ghost-hunting foursome in the gender-bending take on the classic supernatural comedy franchise.

In keeping with the gender-twisting, Hemsworth is now the receptionist for the Ghostbusters, taking over from the role originated by Annie Potts.

That's pretty funny!

- Check Out Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon in First Photos from the Ghostbusters Set



In the first photo, we see McCarthy hauling what appears to be the new "Ghost Trap" (or possibly a large computer hard drive), and Kate McKinnon in paint-splattered overalls and a pair of steam punk shades, looking like she just got back from a long weekend at Burning Man.

Shooting a separate scene, we see Wiig dressed in a scholarly plaid skirt and matching blazer – an outfit vaguely reminiscent of the traumatized librarian in the opening scene of the first film.

- Ivan Reitman Shoots Down Talk of Second ‘Ghostbusters’

Before fans can get too excited about a “Ghostbusters” spinoff, franchise producer Ivan Reitman has issued a statement asserting there’s only one film — and that’s Paul Feig’s 2016 reboot.

“There has been a lot of excitement recently about what is happening with the ‘Ghostbusters’ franchise,” he said. “As the producer of the new ‘Ghostbusters’ film, I feel the need to clarify. There is only one new ‘Ghostbusters’ movie and that is the Paul Feig-directed version coming next July, presently filming and going fantastically. The rest is just noise.”

Reitman’s statement follows comments made earlier this week by screenwriter Drew Pearce — part of the Ghost Corps formed in March by Sony Pictures — who suggested he’d completed the script for the rumored second film the studio hopes would star Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt (who’s said he knows nothing about it). He later clarified on Twitter that he’d only written the bible for the project, expected to be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, and that there was no script yet.

- Bill Murray to Appear in 'Ghostbusters'

Bill Murray ain't afraid of no reboot.

The actor, who played Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), will appear in director Paul Feig's upcoming installment of the franchise, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Murray has long been resistant to star in a third Ghostbusters. He told David Letterman earlier this year that his hesitancy stems from Ghostbusters II not having been as well-received as the first one.

Woo!

- Your First Look at Chris Hemsworth in Ghostbusters



Wee!

- Paul Feig on Ghostbusters: “Just let this movie happen”

Certain corners of the internet have seemingly already written the movie off, criticising Feig’s decisions at every turn. However, the director has dismissed all such speculation in one, concise tweet: "You all have no idea what we did, so stop acting like you do. Enough is enough. Just let this movie happen. #enough."

Can’t argue with that. Feig also went on to touch on the recent cameo announcements, which were only made public as a reaction to the huge paparazzi presence on set. "Gang, everyone should know that any and all cameo announcements are leaks and nothing we wanted made public," says Feig. "Media, please take note. I only announced @Ernie_Hudson as a cameo because our set was overrun by paparazzi. I really wanted these cameos to be surprises. Just FYI."

How do we think this will do at the Box Office?

$100 million dollar opening weekend seems like a reasonable expectation.