Leslie Jones Slams Jason Reitman's 'Insulting' 'Ghostbusters' Sequel
While many "Ghostbusters" fans have been celebrating the news of an upcoming third film in the original series, one star of the recent reboot isn't happy.
Leslie Jones took to Twitter over the weekend to voice her disapproval of Jason Reitman's sequel, which will be a direct follow-up to his father Ivan Reitman's 1984 and 1989 flicks. The Sony film will be entirely separate from Jones's 2016 feature, and will not reference any of its characters or events.
According to Jones, the move is dismissive and "so insulting," essentially saying "f*ck us" to herself and the rest of the cast, including Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Kate McKinnon. The actress also referenced the hate her film received because of its all-female ensemble, noting sarcastically that this new movie would be "better with men" because, after all, "those women ain't [Ghostbusters]."
While Jones's comments are a bit over-the-top, she's not entirely wrong that Sony's decision is kind of "a d*ck move." After all, critics and fans generally enjoyed the 2016 film, which received mostly positive reviews despite some intense backlash from trolls who declared it a childhood-ruining abomination (and took much of their frustration out on Jones, who received such incessant racist abuse that she briefly quit Twitter).
But director Paul Feig's flick didn't do big numbers at the box office, and Sony declined to move forward on a sequel as a result. The studio was eager to keep the "Ghostbusters" name alive, though, and continued to work on other projects centered around the property, ultimately leading Reitman to develop his new film.
It's unclear what the director's feature will focus on, though the film's first teaser suggests it will be a passing of the torch to a new generation of paranormal investigators. No word yet on whether or not original stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, or Ernie Hudson will appear. (Harold Ramis passed away in 2014.)
We're guessing at this point, Jones won't be willing to make a cameo. Here's hoping Sony reaches out to the 2016 cast anyway, though, as a gesture of goodwill.