Ghostbusters 3 is coming, but it's going to be a little different from the Ghostbusters you remember from the '80s.
Speaking with Empire Magazine (via Comicbookmovie), Bridesmaids director Paul Feig spoke about where he plans to take the Ghostbusters franchise and his decision to use an all-female lead cast.
First and foremost, the film isn't in continuity with the previous two Ghostbuster films. It's a reboot, plain and simple.
"I have too much respect for the original one [to do a sequel]," Feig says. "There's also the feeling that once the world knows ghosts and has seen them busted on such a large scale, they run the risk of becoming pedestrian. There's something fun about introducing our world, which has never seen ghosts to the phenomenon of ghosts. I love origin stories and to introduce new characters."
As for the decision to go for a female ghostbusting crew? Feig says he just finds the idea more interesting than the alternatives.
"A lot of people accused it of being a gimmick," he says. "I guess I can see the cynics' view of it, but for me I just love working with funny women. People said, 'Why don't you do a mix?' I'm just more interested in the idea of lady Ghostbusters. It's the way my brain works."
A female lead cast is a huge change for the franchise, but it might not be a big change as the new tone Feig is looking to capture for the next installment.
"I want ours to be scarier than the original, to be quite honest," Feig says. "Katie Dipold and I are so focused on wanting to do scary comedy. We don't want to hold back."
Of course, the director will have to hold back some. He says the film will be shooting for a PG-13 rating.
"The reason I do a lot of R-Rated comedies is that you want a movie to feel honest," he says. "But the Ghostbusters world doesn't need that level of swearing. We'll have to be PG-13 with this one. I would like to make it R-Rated, but I won't. You want the biggest number of people to watch it and not be put off by it."
Rumors have swirled about possible women who might throw on a proton pack in the near future, but Feig says because the script isn't yet complete it is still up in the air who will star in the film.
