— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) January 27, 2015
Just in case you don’t recognize those smilin’ mugs, that’s Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon (SNL), and Leslie Jones (also SNL). While I wasn’t counting on McKinnon and Jones per se, Wiig and McCarthy were shoo-ins. I was definitely counting on this kind of team, though. Do I like it? Sure. I think they’ll work just fine. My only concern is typecasting. I really hope they haven’t typecast any of these roles, particularly in McCarthy’s case. I’d really like to see her playing against her type. Thoughts, chewers?
EDIT: Drew McWeeny of HitFix has revealed some additional details, including a plot synopsis and character descriptions. Here’s what he wrote:
One thing to keep in mind here is that they are not playing the characters from the original film. They’re not meant to simply be female versions of Venkman, Spengler, Stantz, and Zeddmore. Instead, these are totally different characters in a similar type of situation. Erin Gabler and Abby Bergman are the first two leads, and as the film begins, they are former colleagues. They co-wrote a book about the paranormal together, then went in different directions. Erin works for Columbia, and she’s getting close to tenure, while Abby is more involved in the pursuit of ghosts, with a new partner named Jillian. In a world where there are thirty different “Ghost Hunters” style TV shows out there, the set-up makes sense, and it sets up a tension between serious academic motives and mainstream pop parapsychology.
If I was guessing, I’d bet Wiig is Erin, Jones is Abby, and McKinnon is Jillian. That’s because I’m almost positive Patty, an MTA subway ticket employee who stumbles across the main ghost in the film, is going to be McCarthy. Seems like a perfect fit for her, and I can see how all four of them will fit together as a team.
McWeeny also mentions that they’re looking to cast Bill Murray in a “Walter Peck” style role. Who’s Walter Peck? You know, the guy from Ghostbusters who has no dick. The pencil neck. I suspect Murray won’t do it, but he’s not being asked to reprise the Venkman role, so maybe he’ll be more open to it.