The Ray Parker Jr.-performed Ghostbusters theme song is just as iconic as proton packs and tan jumpsuits in the horror-comedy franchise – but there has been some question in the fan community as to how it would be used in director Paul Feig’s upcoming reboot. The opening of the track – played on a lone piano – can be heard in the newly released trailer, but audiences are still wondering if the original music will make its way into the actual finished film. Well, wonder no longer, because Feig has confirmed that we will not only be hearing the Parker Jr. version, but others as well.
A special Ghostbusters event was held earlier this week on the Sony Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles, CA, and following an early screening of the new trailer, Paul Feig, co-writer Katie Dippold, and producer Ivan Reitman were on-hand for a question and answer session. It was during this back and forth with the audience that Feig addressed the question about the Ghostbusters song, asked directly about it by a fan in the crowd. Said the filmmaker,
You’re definitely going to hear the Ghostbusters song, because you can’t do Ghostbusters without that song. We’re playing not only with the original one, which it would be a crime not to hear that song, but also new versions of it.
It sounds like Paul Feig is hinting at a contemporary remix of the Ghostbusters theme recorded by a new artist – so you may want to stay tuned in the coming months for an announcement regarding the identity of the singer and/or producer who is taking on the project. It’s also nice to note that Feig has the same feeling about the original song as all other Ghostbusters fans.
That wasn’t the end of Paul Feig’s comments on the music of Ghostbusters, however. Adding on to his answer, he also noted that he’s once again working with composer Theodore Shapiro to develop the score for the upcoming summer blockbuster. Discussing the work that’s being done, Feig said,
Teddy Shapiro - who did Spy with me, he’s one of the best composers I know – is doing an amazing theme, and we’re really playing with a lot of different themes. I want this to be big, spooky, gothic, cool, and he’s doing an amazing job. I think you’ll be very happy when you hear what we’re doing score-wise.
One could imagine the folks at Sony not being able to resist the urge to use the original Ray Parker Jr. version of the Ghostbusters theme in one of the future trailers that pop up online and in theaters, so look forward to that. Ghostbusters will be hitting cinemas on July 15th.
