Trailer for New 'Ghostbusters' Movie Angers Leftists: 'Racist, Toxic Masculinity'
The backlash continues to swirl around the newest addition to the “Ghostbusters” franchise, directed by Jason Reitman — the son of the director of the original 1984 hit, Ivan Reitman.
Unlike the all-female 2016 version, Jason Reitman’s version will be a sequel to the original two films.
Starring Finn Wolfhard from “Stranger Things” and “It,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” follows a family that moves into a rural farmhouse on Oklahoma and learns their connection to Dr. Egon Spengler.
While the trailer seems darker than the 1980s films, several nods to the beloved franchise were made.
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson are expected to reprise their roles, according to Vulture. Even the Ecto-1 made an appearance in the trailer!
“Jason Reitman wrote a beautiful, heartfelt script that takes the real DNA from the first two movies and transfers that directly to the third, the next generation,” Dan Aykroyd said.
Even though many people are excited to see the franchise continue on, the movie has received backlash for “insulting” the 2016 remake.
Director Paul Feig had a bold idea to bring back “Ghostbusters” with a slight twist: a female-centric cast.
Unfortunately, the hype surrounding the remake didn’t translate to the box office numbers.
When Jason Reitman announced that he would be directing a new addition to his father’s movies earlier this year, Leslie Jones — one of the stars of the 2016 film — was one of many who expressed her outrage.
“So insulting. Like f— us. We dint count,” she tweeted in January. “It’s like something trump would do. (Trump voice)’Gonna redo ghostbusteeeeers, better with men, will be huge. Those women ain’t ghostbusteeeeers’ ugh so annoying. Such a d–k move. And I don’t give f— I’m saying something!!”
“The point is if they make this new one with all men and it does well which it will,” she later added, “It might feel that ‘boys are better’ it makes my heart drop. Maybe I could have use different words but I’m allowed to have my feelings just like them.”
In an open letter to Jason Reitman, Hannah Woodhead, an associate editor for Little White Lies, argued that Feig’s choice to cast four women in his 2016 rendition was “fierce innovation” and mocked Reitman’s choice to use four teenagers — two of whom are female according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Once the trailer debuted earlier this week, the criticism from social justice warriors only continued.
“F— that Ghostbusters trailer,” journalist James McMahon tweeted. “You don’t reward regressive fanboys – many of whom created an atmosphere of racist, mysoginist toxicity that led to a leading lady leaving this very platform – by MAKING THE VERY FILM THEY WANTED IN THE FIRST PLACE.”
Despite the loud criticism being spread by those who supported the female-centric version, many commenters are excited to see how Jason Reitman continues his father’s franchise — including Paul Feig.
Feig’s response to “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” contrasted Jones’ original reaction.
“This looks so awesome,” Feig wrote. “Huge congrats to @JasonReitman and his amazing cast and crew. I cannot WAIT to see this! #weareallghostbusters”
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is set to release on July 10, 2020.
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