For some time, it appeared that the Paul Feig-directed "Ghosbusters" reboot starring an all-female cast, led by Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, would get an all-male spin-off starring Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt. Both actors have denied the rumors and now, the official word is out that the spin-off has been cancelled.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Reid Carolin explained that they were "not doing that ["Ghostbusters" spinoff] anymore." Carolin is a long-time collaborator with Tatum, having served as both writer and producer for both the "Magic Mike" films while also sitting as producer for the actor's upcoming "Gambit" flick.
"No I don't think so, I think it's too complicated," Carolin said. "There's a lot of things going on with that brand and I just feel like it's over-saturated."
According to the report from Screen Rant, it comes as no surprise that the project has stopped. The Russo brothers — famed for directing "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" — were brought in by Sony Pictures but are currently locked in to direct "Captain America: Civil War" and the two "Avengers: Infinity War" films.
The report also cites that beyond scheduling conflicts, Sony and Feig might have only considered an all-male "Ghostbusters" film as a response to alleged sexist complaints on the all-female version. According to a report from Cinema Blend, the all-male film would be considered the true reboot while the female film is said to be considered as a side-note.
Sony, just like every studio today, is quite eager to jump on the bandwagon to create its own shared cinematic universe similar to Marvel's. The outfit has already struck a deal so that Spider-Man may be a part of the Avengers in the MCU, but it still needs to build a property of its own.
According to Screen Rant, Sony might be waiting to see if the all-female film succeeds before further expanding the cinematic world. Given Feig's success and good track-record with films such as "Spy" and "Bridesmaids," it is still possible that the studio would re-visit the concept of an all-male "Ghostbusters" film in the future.
