My "Problem" With the New Ghostbusters Movie

  No, I don't care that it is all women, anymore than I cared that the original was "all men" (I remember thinking Annie Potts was funny, and some woman named "weaver" was kinda' plot central, wasn't she...?).
  No, I don't know/care if there is a conspiracy to do something by someone somewhere for some end.
My problem?

  Laziness.

  Look, Ghostbusters is an iconic film that has been seen by a bajillion people. It is as funny today as when it was made 32 years ago.

  As a guy who studied film in college and teaches with movies I am amazed at how Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day are holding up over time.

  Quite frankly, the movie doesn't need a reboot. It might never need a reboot! Rebooting the film is laziness and the waste of a goden opportunity to create a true film franchise on the cale of Bond films.

  There was a great line in the original,
  "The franchise rights alone will be worth millions."



  Ever play the old West End games Ghostbusters RPG? It was great! I have very fond memories of playing the game where my character spent the entire climactic battle driving Ecto 9 around and around, looking for parking. The RPG was all about people buying a franchise.

  So, imagine this - the film opens with one of the original ghostbusters countersigning all the documents for the new franchise in - Chicago! A new office dealing with new threats!
  You could have a new film every 2-4 years, each set in a new city: L.A., Atlanta, Boston, Toronto, Vancouver (paying itself!), London (they could be opposed by Spring-heeled Jack), Dublin (banshees!), Beijing (hopping Chinese vampires!), Nairobi, Sydney, Honolulu, Moscow, Tbilisi, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, etc., etc., etc!
  Famous stars from those cities; local celebrities; landmarks; scenery porn; all the great stuff we love from Bond films set on location, but in a comedy franchise.
  Do it right and you could have not just the locals locked in but a much more broad appeal.
  And talk about diversity! Tokyo? All Japanese actors! Seoul? All Korean! Lagos? All Nigerian!

  This strikes me s a no-brainer - take an existing, beloved film that is well known and turn it into an international franchise sensation where every nation sees their cities as exciting and their citizens as heroes.. You'd have cities bending over backwards to cooperate.

  I am upset because I think this is a huge missed opportunity.