Columbia Pictures
Obviously today’s male equivalent of ’80s era Annie Potts is Chris Hemsworth. Obviously. I understand that the new “all-female” Ghostbusters reboot is not a gender-swapped remake of the 1984 original. It’s not about them being reciprocally cast. Hemsworth is not playing “Janine.” Still, there’s going to be some comparisons made when the new, all-female Ghostbusters headquarters has a male receptionist. Especially if he turns out to be a love interest for our perception of which new Ghostbuster is the female Egon (I say Kate McKinnon, if the box must be forced) and later the love interest for our perception of who is the new Louis (as yet uncast, or at least unrevealed).
This casting update, by the way, comes via writer/director Paul Feig on Twitter:
Our receptionist. #whoyougonnacall pic.twitter.com/wGTzs8KdUs
— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) June 10, 2015
What’s interesting about this news is that it shows how much Hemsworth is down to play supporting roles in comedies. The Thor star has been stealing the trailers for this summers Vacation sequel/reboot, and given that he hasn’t been as successful with non-Marvel action and drama gigs – this December’s In the Heart of the Sea might wash out the bad taste of his Blackhat flop – he might be looking for other means of continuing his relevance outside of the Avengers franchise. I also think this is a neat twist of gender role expectations in alignment with his fictional son (in Star Trek) Chris Pine being cast as the love interest in Wonder Woman.
Hemsworth joins a cast led by a quartet of hilarious women, all known for being very funny on Saturday Night Live. There are present cast members McKinnon and Leslie Jones and SNL vet Kristen Wiig plus fan favorite host Melissa McCarthy. The new Ghostbusters, which is expected to kick off a mega franchise with other strains, opens July 22, 2016.
Related Topics: Chris Hemsworth, Ghostbusters
