Since the Sony e-mail leak last fall, the rumors of a Channing Tatum / Chris Pratt Ghostbusters film have been fairly persistant. Joe and Anthony Russo have been rumored to direct the film, potentially between directing Captain America: Civil War and The Avengers: Infinity War – Parts 1 and 2. With Captain America wrapping sometime soon for a May 2016 release, and Avengers 3 and 4 to shoot back to back starting in Fall or Winter of 2016, it could give them some time to shoot a Ghostbusters film. Ghostbusters is decidedly a much smaller film to shoot, but I wouldn’t want them to rush a shoot during the summer of 2016, if that’s when they were planning to make it happen. While the original Ghostbusters was greenlit in the middle of 1983 for a June 1984 release, giving them somewhere around 12 months to finish the script, cast, shoot, edit and release, Avengers probably deserves all of their attention.

Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3) has been making the rounds during press for Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, and was asked directly about the Ghostbusters film by MTV. “I’ve finished my work on that in the last couple weeks. Obviously it’s top secret, but there’s a gigantic bold idea that I came up with, and the Russo brothers and Ivan Reitman, who did the original movie, are going to take that and run with it. Obviously I cannot tell you what it is, but hopefully in one year’s time you’ll know!”

He was asked about Chris Pratt and Channing Tatum, responding: “That’s definitely the cast we’ve been thinking about as we approach the project. Whether that happens or not is very much above my pay grade. It’s just my job to give them something exciting that maybe they’ll do.”

But will it share the same universe with Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters? “My personal inclination is to try and make everything occur in the same Ghostbusters universe, because I feel, as a fan, that’s what I would want. Standing here in New York, you just wanna tie it all together. Whether that happens or not we’ll see, but I’ve certainly given them the tools to do that, I hope.”

It’s not actually a script that Pearce wrote, though, as he clarified on Twitter:

Also, I’ve only written a bible (because I have to go off and direct my own stuff). No script yet. So news cycle: CHILL YOUR BOOTS.

— Drew Pearce (@mrdrewpearce) July 29, 2015

Plus, it will be a team that has both men and women (come on, Emma Stone! Join this one!).

For the record, my GB idea has a mixed gender team. Also ghosts of all classes (I to VII). It’s very inclusive that way. — Drew Pearce (@mrdrewpearce) July 29, 2015

In another interview, this one from Nerd Report, Pearce stated that he’s left his ideas with the Russo brothers, Tatum and their team: “I’m further away,” Pearce said. “It wasn’t like when I do my Marvel stuff where I’m right there at the nexus with Kevin [Feige] and the gang. The Ghostbusters one is bigger and there’s a lot more elements in play. Every movie’s different. It’s one where I came in, went ‘Here is my idea. Here is how I would extrapolate it. You guys go crazy and see where you go with it’ which was a bit like [Mission: Impossible]. My work on Ghostbusters is done. I’ve handed over a story bible.”

One wrench in the plan: Ivan Reitman has provided a quote to Uproxx about this, saying: “There has been a lot of excitement recently about what is happening with the Ghostbusters franchise. As the producer of the new Ghostbusters film, I feel the need to clarify. There is only one new Ghostbusters movie and that is the Paul Feig directed version coming next July, presently filming and going fantastically. The rest is just noise.”

That said, it doesn’t really deny anything that Pearce has said. So far, there is no script for the Russo brothers Ghostbusters film, so what he said was technically true. Plus, Sony’s spending $150 million on the next Ghostbusters film, so they want that to be a big hit before they announce more. I’ve heard that there will likely be a trilogy with the Feig Ghostbusters, but there’s room for more than one style of GB film going on at the same time (especially if they share a universe). Afterall, Star Wars is going to have Saga films and Anthology films released in the same way.

I’m all for a mixed-gender Ghostbusters team also hitting the big screen. May I suggest the cast include Bill Hader and Emma Stone? As I mentioned in the article above, Emma Stone is someone I’d love to see as a Ghostbuster, and Bill Hader could make a great Louis Tully type of character, or a member of the team.

What are your thoughts?

Chris Pratt had this to say:

I ain’t fraid’a no goats

A photo posted by chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) on Jul 30, 2015 at 8:52am PDT

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