TO JUSTIFY A REBOOT...
Personally, I am not a fan of recasting the main players of the Ghostbusters franchise, but since this article is a remnant from the FanCast contest, I was assigned the challenge of getting a new take on a nearly flawless roster. Since that plan was abandoned, I'm happy to share my roster now. I think it actually turned into a reboot I could get behind.
We’ve seen in the comic Ghostbusters: Get Real that the Ghostbusters exist in multiple dimensions under different appearances, backgrounds and personalities. This rebooted universe is just another variation of the Ghostbusters crew.
BACK TO BASICS
What made Ghostbusters good in the first place? The following pitch proposes that what Ghostbusters good was not flashy special effects, body fluid humor, or a 3:1 White/Black ratio, but it was a group of comedians enjoying the prime of their careers; their comedy was in perfectly in line with the social consciousness. This cast tries to recreate that magic. It’s a hodgepodge of humors that are in tune with our collective humor as an audience. In my opinion.
Without further ado, I present...
Ghostbusters: Boogie Time
Timeline and Basic Plot
This is a soft reboot. It supposes that the events of the first 2 Ghostbusters films occurred, with slight alterations to move the timeline to the 21st century. It would be as if the first film took place around 2013.
If you need a refresher (with small alterations...): It’s been Egon Spengler’s life drive to hunt the monsters, demons, and spirits that threaten the world. With his friends, the loveable scientist Ray Stantz and smarmy psychologist Peter, they formed the Ghostbusters. Winston Zeddemore is a former agent of the CDC, but still the everyman voice of reason. The four of them went on to fight threats like Gozer, Vigo the Carpathian, and all manner of other spooks, becoming international celebrities. But things have calmed down a bit for the crew in recent years—all ghosts seem well and secured. The team is tempted to move to different carreers//cue montage of each Ghostbuster doing some ridiculous job.
Dana Barret is a museum historian and single mother to a 9 year-old boy Oscar. Oscar begins to start having nightmares about Boogie, a monster with a razor sharp teeth, a massive blue head, and cloven hooves. Most brush it off as typical childhood frights and assume Oscar will grow out of it soon, but when Egon hears about this, he determines to get the Ghostbusters back together, track down Boogie, and capture the monster before it can do any harm.
Little known to our heroes, Boogie is trying to manipulate all children into becoming doing bad things. this gives them skill, strength, and power, but slowly transforms them into beings called Grundels that will do his bidding. Will Oscar give in to the fear? It all comes to a head in the finale, where the team confronts Boogie in her own dimension where she commands every creep from the closets, every spook under the bed, every monster in your sewers and basements!
"Oh no! Who we gonna call?"
***Starring***
Jason Segel as Ray Stantz
Ray needs to exude an inquisitive bewilderment for all things supernatural. Jason Segel is no stranger to the excitable geek, as seen in roles like Marshall in How I Met Your Mother, Peter in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Gary in The Muppets. He can play intelligent, obsessive, and charming all at once. These qualities make him the perfect Ray. When the movie starts off, Ray is recently divorced from a loveless marriage and he seems to have lost his optimism, focusing all of his energy into preparing for a ghost apocalypse alone in a bunker. In this film, Ray would spend most of the movie getting to know Oscar, Dana's son. He develops a friendship with this kid and by the end, realizes that there is a lot to look forward to and worth fighting in this life.
Richard Ayoade as Egon Spengler
Most known for his work on the IT Crowd, Ayoade is an accomplish comedic actor who can bring a different take to Egon. Awkward and introverted, and yet confident. Egon is the one in this film with the most personal grudge against Boogie, and I’d love to see Ayoade struggling with that in his own socially unacceptable way. Plus, have you seen that hair? No one could ever rock the Spengler, my friend—but I like your style. This film would dive into Egon's history a bit, informing us that Egon became interested in the supernatural for the first time as a child when Boogie would come and haunt him.
Ryan Reynolds as Peter Venkman
By far the hardest character to cast was Peter. Bill Murray is so intrinsically connected to the role, it’s hard to find a suitable substitute. This generation has a different take on the charm/smarm double whammy—everybody’s favorite Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds. He brings a bit of star power, and I’d reckon his quips would come off like a more energized version of Peter’s patented zingers. He doesn’t really look like a scientist, but I could believe that is what the modern psychologist looks like. And to boot, he’s already proved to us he can pull off a jumpsuit in Voices. Venkman would be the most reluctant Ghostbuster to come back into the spotlight from his successful career as a celebrity guest psychologist, but when he finally answers the call, ghosts are busted like no other.
Michael Jai White as Winston Zeddemore
Our Winston been in both Mortal Kombat: Legacy and Arrow, but my personal favorite (and why I had to put him on this list) is Black Dynamite. This tribute and parody to Blaxploitation proves to me that White can act like the straight man in the scene where the funny has gone off the rails. Even after all these years, Zeddemore is a sort of outsider. He is, in a lot of ways, our audience surrogate to the team. His background is changed though—he now has a background in disease control. It will play a role in the story and establish White as a vital member and SCIENTIST. But you should probably anticipate some good old fashioned Michael Jai White butt-kicking.
Thandie Newton as Dana Barret
Someone I’m not too familiar with, but I fell in love with Newton on Westworld. She is a force to be reckoned with and commands any scene she is in. I would like to establish Dana as a historian at the museum early on, so that her work with the team is vital and there is no damsel in distress effect. A major change to the timeline would be that Dana would have been a mother as of the events of the first film. Equally important is her motherhood. She is tough, but loving. Kind and protective. Also, girl can rock a perm. Dana's primary role is mother in this movie, but I'd like to have a side quest where she and Janine are on a Ghost-Bustin's spree while the rest of the team fights in the Boogie Dimension.
On the note of Dana, I would like to address her son, Oscar. Oscar should be played by a completely unknown child actor. Characterized initially by his naiveté and fear, the end of the film would see Oscar rise up to overcome those fears. Ultimately, he is the hero of our story and should have a fresh young face. Nine-years-old might be shooting a little too young, but I want him to be at the age where a child might still be having nightmares about scary monsters under the bed.
Charlie Day as Louis Tulley
Were you wondering if Louis would make the cast? Of course he does!! Rick Moranis is enjoyable in every moment on screen, and my reboot would want to capture this same cartoonish dedication to the character. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Charlie Day is the undeniable choice to match the energy of the dopey attorney. He is short, wiry, and commits 300% in any role he is in. As you can see in Pacific Rim, he clearly looks teh part too. The perfect choice for our socially unhinged Louis. Done.
Gillian Jacobs as Janine
These days, Gillian Jacobs is taking to more heartfelt indie comedies, but I remember her in Community (I also remember her in Choke, but that might be just a personal pleasure). She has proven in performances like Love that she can bring an emotional core to a character while still focusing on bringing the laughs. Jacobs can be the smartass weirdo that keeps everyone in line. Personally, I'd love to see her adopt a look closer to her
Lady Gaga as Boogie
Boogie makes its appearance in the shape of Lady Gaga. She hails back to the androgynous appearance of Gozer, and I like my demons to be terrifying and sexually confusing. She’s been around spooky effects since American Horror Story and would most certainly give Boogie an explosive personality. Personally, I’d love to see a musical number that would wipe away the taste that was Hemsworth in the newest film, but I could understand if my director at the helm might steer away from that idea… The ulitmate goal for the finales would be tocycle effortlessly through reality and the Boogie Dimension, with trippy and horrifying images. Imagine the dimension scene in Doctor Strange, but with more monsters. And jammin' Lady Gaga music!
DIRECTED BY
Mike Judge
Mike Judge has been at the forefront of our comedic social consciousness since the 90s with Beavis & Butt-head, Office Space, and King of the Hill. He knows how to build an exciting and colorful world, as seen in Idiocracy. And his most recent endeavor, Silicon Valley, might be the funniest show on television today. As the director of Ghostbusters, he would focus on the comedic ensemble finding it’s footing while still driving a complex storyline littered with sarcasm and dramatic irony. The man’s got my vote.
WRITTEN BY
Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller
It seems only fit that, like the original movie, the heart of the entire Ghostbusters operation should also write this film. Jason Segel, with his longtime collaborator NICHOLAS STOLLER will be the CO-SCREENWRITERS for the Ghostbusters reboot. This comedy writing team brought us features Get Him To The Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and The Muppets! They've proven they can balance the comedy with the heart of the story, which is exactly the pace I would like to see this story follow. Stoller can cameo in the movie as a monster as well, why not?
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Agree? Disagree? Upset that I destroyed a classic film franchise you hold dear? Sound off with your thoughts below!