Sony Pictures will expand their Ghostbusters franchise with a new action-comedy that will start shooting next summer.
[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]he Studio is forming a new production company with original director Ivan Reitman and star Dan Aykroyd called Ghostcorps. The two will have offices on the Sony lot to boost branding opportunities based on the 1984 film. Reitman said that aside from himself and Aykroyd, Ghostcorps principals will be his longtime Montecito partner Tom Pollock, Ali Bell and Alex Plapinger, and Sony.
Reitman is making plans with Anthony and Joe Russo – Captain America: The Winter Soldier who are looking to direct; Channing Tatum and his partners Reid Carolin and Peter Kienan will produce; and Drew Pearce – Ironman 3 and Mission Impossible 5 screenwriter will write. With Tatum having franchise success with the Magic Mike movies and 21 Jump street films, the hope is that he will sign on to play one of the Ghostbusters.
“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.”
While all of this is happening Sony will start filming their Ghostbusters reboot that stars Bridesmaids leads Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live stars Leslie Jones and Kate Kinnon, and Paul Fieg set to direct. All of this is being governed by new studio head Tom Rothman, Doug Belgrad and production president Michael De Luca
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This is all early talk with the Russo brothers getting ready for their second Captain America film Captain America: Civil War (with Sony’s Spider-man expected to make an appearance), and Marvel rumored to want the brothers to direct the next two Avengers films in place of Joss Whedon. This doesn’t scare Rietman who had to wait years for original Ghostbuster Bill Murrary to read the script.
“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.“
The Ghostbusters reboot directed by Paul Feig and staring Wiig, McCarthy, Jones and Kinnon will be out July 22, 2016. The proposed Russo brother’s film with hopeful star Channing Tatum will begin filming summer of 2016 with a release date of summer 2017.
