Good news, Ghostbusters fans! Director Paul Feig scored millions for the upcoming reboot. The all-female movie was greenlit for a reported $154 million budget, despite new Sony executive’s plans to tighten movie budgets. This could mean bigger-budget special effects and (possible) fantastic CGI for the anticipated film.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony’s new film studio chief Tom Rothman -- who was appointed to the new role in February -- has reportedly approved a $154 million budget just months after news broke that the all female reboot was in the works. This is a huge victory for the entire cast, crew and especially the director of the upcoming comedy, Paul Feig, despite reports of his concessions to reduce the budget of the project. THR also reports that the director had to make changes to the script in order to reduce the budget to the workable $154 million.
The Heat director's take on Ghostbusters originally was greenlit by Sony Motion Picture Group—then headed up by Amy Pascal—for an estimated $169 million budget, the likes of which included hefty salaries for headliner Melissa McCarthy (a reported $14 million) as well as a nice chunk of change ($10 million) for the director himself. Now, with a change in leadership, namely the financially conservative Rothman, Feig may have been forced to adjust his vision of the film and potentially do away with some expensive effects, having cut down on the script.
However, the $154 million budget is nowhere near a loss for the director. Feig can celebrate the fact that the $15 million cut from the original budget is still over Rothman’s reported target for the film. Rothman could have stuck to his guns on that one, and fought with the director. The two reportedly disagreed in the past over Feig’s project The Heat, while Rothman was head of Fox. As they say, let bygones be bygones. Now Feig can focus on making the Ghostbusters film worthy of the name.
Feig’s financial victory could also suggest the type of film fans of the original Ghostbusters movies and new ones alike could very well expect. In an age of big budget motion pictures, a hefty $154 million budget could mean spectacular special effects and, probably, CGI versions of Feig's ghosts. While there’s been no official word on the details of the plot, fans are likely to see a considerable amount of action in the film.
The all-female starring Ghostbusters, which is set to begin filming in summer 2015, will star actress Melissa McCarthy, of The Heat and Bridesmaids fame. McCarthy’s Bridesmaids co-star Kristen Wiig, will join her in the film. Rounding out the cast are two other SNL alums: Leslie Jones, recently seen in Chris Rock’s critically acclaimed Top Five; and Kate McKinnon, of the critically acclaimed comedy Intramural. Ghostbusters is scheduled to be released into theaters on July 22, 2016.
