Connect with us

News

Paul Feig Wants His ‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot to Be Scarier Than the Original

Published

on

It’s hard to think of a more discussed upcoming film this past year than the on-again, off-again, now fully on-again reboot of the beloved Ghostbusters franchise. Whether one likes the idea of an all-female Ghostbusters team or not, or even the idea of resurrecting the series at all, it can’t be said that new director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat) doesn’t appear to have a clear vision for what he wants to do with the material. Even if that vision isn’t quite ready to be articulated in the form of a completed script

Most fans of the original 1984 Ghostbusters film would argue that Feig’s effort has little hope of surpassing it in terms of laughs, but could the 21st century Ghostbusters surpass the original in scares? If Feig has his way, the answer is a definite yes.

Ghostbusters Library Ghost

“I want ours to be scarier than the original, to be quite honest,” said Feig, during a recent interview with Empire. “Katie Dippold and I are so focused on wanting to do scary comedy. We don’t want to hold back.”

That said, Feig is also committed to making his Ghostbusters a PG-13 film, accessible to the widest possible audience. Whether this will be a good or bad decision from a creative standpoint is anyone’s guess.

“The reason I do a lot of R-rated comedies is that you want a movie to feel honest. 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.”

Ghostbusters Marshmallow Man

While it’s been said before, Feig also reiterates that this new Ghostbusters effort will have no direct ties to the continuity of the original franchise. Of course, that begs the question of why they need to call it Ghostbusters at all. The answer to that question is obviously money, but Feig feels that he can make a new film that shares the spirit (no pun intended) of the original.

“I have too much respect for the original one [to do a sequel],” he said. “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.”

Ghostbusters Slimer

From a casting standpoint, Feig still remains vague, despite rumors floating around linking The Hunger Games’ Jennifer Lawrence to the project.

“Right now, honestly, there could be 50 Ghostbusters,” said Feig. “I’m just waiting to get our first draft of the script together to go, ‘Who makes sense in these roles?’ If I put the list in front of me of people that have said they want to do it, talk about a Sophie’s Choice. When you do a movie like Ghostbusters, people get very interested.”

Will the Ghostbusters reboot prove to be a worthwhile film that stands up to the original? It’s far too soon to tell. If nothing else, at least Paul Feig seems to be going into this with a clear idea of the type of film he wants to make.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

The Original ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Had an Interesting Location

Published

on

beetlejuice in Hawaii Movie

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s sequels to hit movies weren’t as linear as they are today. It was more like “let’s re-do the situation but in a different location.” Remember Speed 2, or National Lampoon’s European Vacation? Even Aliens, as good as it is, follows a lot of the plot points of the original; people stuck on a ship, an android, a little girl in peril instead of a cat. So it makes sense that one of the most popular supernatural comedies of all time, Beetlejuice would follow the same pattern.

In 1991 Tim Burton was interested in doing a sequel to his 1988 original, it was called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian:

“The Deetz family moves to Hawaii to develop a resort. Construction begins, and it’s quickly discovered that the hotel will be sitting on top of an ancient burial ground. Beetlejuice comes in to save the day.”

Burton liked the script but wanted some re-writes so he asked then-hot screenwriter Daniel Waters who had just got done contributing to Heathers. He passed on the opportunity so producer David Geffen offered it to Troop Beverly Hills scribe Pamela Norris to no avail.

Eventually, Warner Bros. asked Kevin Smith to punch up Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, he scoffed at the idea, saying, “Didn’t we say all we needed to say in the first Beetlejuice? Must we go tropical?”

Nine years later the sequel was killed. The studio said Winona Ryder was now too old for the part and an entire re-cast needed to happen. But Burton never gave up, there were a lot of directions he wanted to take his characters, including a Disney crossover.

“We talked about lots of different things,” the director said in Entertainment Weekly. “That was early on when we were going, Beetlejuice and the Haunted MansionBeetlejuice Goes West, whatever. Lots of things came up.”

Fast-forward to 2011 when another script was pitched for a sequel. This time the writer of Burton’s Dark Shadows,  Seth Grahame-Smith was hired and he wanted to make sure the story wasn’t a cash-grabbing remake or reboot. Four years later, in 2015, a script was approved with both Ryder and Keaton saying they would return to their respective roles. In 2017 that script was revamped and then eventually shelved in 2019.

During the time the sequel script was being tossed around in Hollywood, in 2016 an artist named Alex Murillo posted what looked like one-sheets for a Beetlejuice sequel. Although they were fabricated and had no affiliation with Warner Bros. people thought they were real.

Perhaps the virality of the artwork sparked interest in a Beetlejuice sequel once again, and finally, it was confirmed in 2022 Beetlejuice 2 had a green light from a script written by Wednesday writers  Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The star of that series Jenna Ortega signed on to the new movie with filming starting in 2023. It was also confirmed that Danny Elfman would return to do the score.

Burton and Keaton agreed that the new film titled Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice wouldn’t rely on CGI or other other forms of technology. They wanted the film to feel “handmade.” The film wrapped in November 2023.

It’s been over three decades to come up with a sequel to Beetlejuice. Hopefully, since they said aloha to Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian there has been enough time and creativity to ensure Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will not only honor the characters, but fans of the original.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will open theatrically on September 6.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

News

Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

Published

on

Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

Movies

New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

Published

on

Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading