Ultimately, a male-led remake of Ghostbusters is the equivalent of nudging misogynist fans and whispering assuringly, ‘Don’t worry – we’ve got your proton-pack back.’
For every feminist victory, there is a qualifier. (Turn, turn, turn.) Or, at least that was the sentiment following news this week that a second Ghostbusters remake – a.k.a. the one not being written and directed by Paul Feig, and starring men – was in the works. But it may not be the "us vs. them" talking point that you're looking for.
Speaking with Birth.Movies.Death. film writer Devin Faraci at the Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation premiere this week, screenwriter Drew Pearce confirmed that his script for Ghost-Boy-Sters (my title) is finished, and isn't intended to compete with Feig's. "Obviously, it's top secret," Pearce said. "But there's a gigantic bold idea that I came up with and the Russo brothers, who did Captain America: Winter Soldier … and Ivan Reitman, who did the original movie, are going to take that and run with it."
There's also a hint that the two Ghostbusters remakes will crossover. "My personal inclination is to try and make everything occur in the same Ghostbusters universe, because I feel, as a fan, that's what I would want," Pearce added. "Standing here in New York, you just wanna tie it all together."
Which I'm sure, as a Ghostbusters fan with the financial means to write a male-fronted reboot, is exactly what you would want to do. But with Pearce's revelation that he'd like to see Chris Pratt and/or Channing Tatum in the lead (even though casting is admittedly "above his pay grade"), this potential new Ghostbusters doesn't seem like a misogynist knee-jerk reaction to the currently shooting reboot starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Instead, it sounds like a simple cash grab.
And that's what a huge part of Hollywood is built on, as proved by the no-less-than-one-million Spider-Man reboots over the past 15 years. It's not personal, it's business. It's not an attack on feminism, it's a means for a studio to reap many dollars off a popular franchise.
But that doesn't mean Pearce's Ghostbusters doesn't still feel like a feminist qualifier – especially since Feig's movie hasn't even debuted yet. With the Spider-Man reboots, we got (and still do) that it's a now-struggling franchise whose relevance pales in comparison to Marvel counterparts such as Guardians of the Galaxy or the Avengers. Yet there's no real creative need for a second Ghostbusters reboot. Especially since it feels like a safety net for fans who might not be "ready" to see four talented and funny women do what they do best.
Ultimately, it's the equivalent of nudging the misogynist Ghostbusters fans and whispering assuringly, "Don't worry – we've got your proton-pack back."
Whether or not that is Pearce's intention remains to be seen, and it's unfair for us to get ahead of ourselves and condemn his project already – especially since he's stressed the co-existence of both Ghostbusting worlds, and has in no way pitted them against each other. But now the onus is on him, his eventual director and his stars to follow through on their intent to include and collaborate. New York is a big place, after all: There's more than enough Ghostbusting to go around.