Paul Feig Is Still Holding Out Hope For A 'Ghostbusters' Sequel

Shortly after Paul Feig's reboot of Ghostbusters hit theaters, one executive at Sony Pictures had no doubt that a sequel to the movie would come together. However, the tune behind the scenes appeared to change drastically about a month later as the theatrical release was winding down, and the box office numbers were not as high as the studio had hoped. A sequel was not looking likely.

At the time, one estimate indicated that Ghostbusters would need to make $300 million to break even, while another source said that estimation was way off and didn't take into consideration all the money earned from "consumer products, gaming, location-based entertainment, continued international rollout, and huge third-party promotional partnerships." Well, the movie ended up raking in just over $229 million at the box office, and while the call for a Ghostbusters reboot sequel hasn't been made, Paul Feig is still hopeful that it will happen.

Speaking with The Daily Beast, the director of Ghostbusters: Answer the Call was asked if he would be up for a sequel, and here's what he had to say:

That's up to the studio because they have to pay for it. Nobody's called me. But I love those characters and I know they are now heroes and mean a lot to a lot of people, so in a perfect world it would be great if we could see them bust more ghosts, kick more ass, and be awesome again.

We're all too familiar with the dislike for the new Ghostbusters out there. Plenty of fans of the original movies didn't want anything to do with the reboot from the beginning, and some who took a chance on it and wanted to see it succeed came away disappointed (like our own Peter Sciretta). But for anyone who paid attention to trick or treaters this Halloween, there were plenty of adorable, inspired little girl Ghostbusters out there, and even plenty of grown women who dressed up as the new conductors of the metaphysical examination, so the movie certainly has plenty of fans despite the more vocal negative side of the coin.

However, the question is whether or not Paul Feig should be brought back to direct a Ghostbusters sequel if the studio decides to make one. Personally, I think we need a new filmmaker behind the camera. As someone who was amused but not entirely pleased with Paul Feig's movie, I want to see what someone else can do with these characters. Feig started off strong by creating some interesting new characters and giving a new comedic tone to Ghostbusters, but he had a hard time balancing it with blockbuster action in the second half, and the movie completely loses any original identity it had in the beginning.

Then again, if the studio moves forward with a sequel, it would have to be significantly cheaper than the first film (which cost $144 million to make). And if Paul Feig isn't forced to create something that's meant to be a tentpole blockbuster, he might be able to do something smaller that allows what worked about the first half of his Ghostbusters movie to shine the entire way through.

As for the film's stars, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones are all contracted for two more sequels if Sony decides to make them, so they'll all be back. Presumably Chris Hemsworth would also return as Kevin since he was one of the funniest parts of the first movie. And with a credits scene that hinted at the use of the original Ghostbusters villain Gozer the Gozerian by way of a mention of the name Zuul, it sounds like Feig already has an idea of what he'd like to do. But whether or not he'll get a chance remains to be seen.