It’s been a big news day for Sony Pictures’ reboot of the Ghostbusters franchise. Reports emerged some hours ago that the main cast for the upcoming supernatural action/comedy – a roster that includes Bridesmaids costars Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy as well as Saturday Night Live breakouts Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon – is being finalized; and director Paul Feig (Spy) confirmed the development, shortly thereafter.

We learned not too long ago that production on the Ghostbusters reboot is tentatively set to begin June 2015, suggesting the film is being targeted for a 2016 theatrical premiere. Sure enough, Sony Pictures has now staked out an official July 2016 release date, for Feig’s and screenwriter Katie Dippold’s (The Heat) new spin on the 1980s-born franchise.


The most recent Ghostbusters live-action movie, Ghostbusters II, opened in theaters all the way back in 1989. And for a long time thereafter, the plan was for the third live-action film installment in the series to be a continuation of the mythos established in the previous films, with stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson all reprising their lead roles.

However, after years of Murray expressing no interest in such a movie and then Ramis passing away in 2014, Sony ordered a full-blown reboot of the Ghostbusters cinematic brand instead. Enter Feig and his plan for a new team of ghostbusters played by women - one that has (unsurprisingly) ruffled some feathers, be it over Feig’s desire to cast funny ladies as the leads and/or the decision to make another Ghostbusters movie at all.