Katie Dippold, who wrote the 2013 slapstick action/comedy film The Heat starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, has been hired to write the script for Ghostbusters 3 which will focus on a strong female ensemble – the cast has not yet been determined. The first two Ghostbusters films focused on the male cast of Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Ernie Hudson and the late great Harold Ramis. Paul Feig of Bridesmaids and The Heat, will direct. Since The Heat grossed $229 million, chances are Feig and Dippold will try to recreate the magic of The Heat for Ghostbusters 3.
But the magic of The Heat wasn’t primarily due to the script or direction — it was the in-sync presence of Bullock and McCarthy that blew it up. Feig essentially pointed the camera at the funny ladies and let them go at it. As Sheila O’Malley of Roger Ebert.com described The Heat: “The pace of the film is uneven, and the big plot-points are presented so casually that you can almost feel how bored everyone is by having to spend time on them, but Bullock and McCarthy make a phenomenal team.” So while news of a director who “gets” female characters (Bridesmaids) and the hiring of a female writer on Ghostbusters 3 is encouraging, it’ll really come down to the cast. Names being passed around include Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, and Parks and Recreation’s Amy Poehler, Aubrey Plaza and Rashida Jones. What about Sandra Bullock? What’s a few ghosts when you’ve been to space?
