Explosive Controversy Erupts: Ghostbusters Reboot Star Lashes Out at Afterlife Director's Shocking Remark!

Highlights

Taking a swipe at the unsuccessful reboot's all-female cast, Ghostbusters: Afterlife director, Jason Reitman, adds yet another regrettable comment to his list of backhanded remarks toward the franchise.

Leslie Jones, an actress from the 2016 Ghostbusters film, bravely spoke out about the hate-filled comments and extreme hostility she faced, especially as an African American woman in a prominent role. The intense backlash and alarming death threats targeting the female cast members effectively crushed any possibility of a continued franchise and perpetuated the notion that there is no audience for women in lead roles, which was further reinforced by the absence of female characters in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

The 2016 Ghostbusters reboot continues to face criticism, even from Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman. In a podcast interview with Bill Burr in 2019, Reitman expressed his intention to restore the beloved franchise to its fans with Afterlife, distancing it from the all-female cast of the previous film.

Unfortunately, Reitman's comment is just one in a series of negative remarks that the Ghostbusters reboot has endured. Since the release of the trailer for the 2016 film, it has been inundated with hateful comments based on the inclusion of a female cast and the audacity of modernizing a franchise that is decades old. Leslie Jones, known for her hilarious tweets about Zack Snyder's Justice League, was particularly targeted with vicious criticism. Jones has been vocal about her experiences, discussing why she felt singled out as a Black woman.

Jones' recent memoir, Leslie F*ucking Jones, addressed Reitman's comments as particularly significant in the Ghostbusters wound. "Bringing up the idea of giving the movie 'back to the fans' was a pretty clear shout-out to all those individuals who criticized us for creating an all-female [movie]," Jones wrote. "Why are people being so malicious towards each other? How can you sit and type 'I want to kill you.' Who does that? Sad keyboard warriors living in their mother's basements despised the fact that this esteemed work of art now featured — gasp! horror! — women in the lead roles. Most importantly, one of the leading characters happened to be a Black woman. For certain men, this was the breaking point."

In any other circumstance, Ghostbusters had the potential to be a successful film. It boasted a talented cast of four humorous women and featured Chris Hemsworth in a supporting role before his appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder. Director Paul Feig had established himself in the comedy genre. However, despite its comedic brilliance, the film failed to win over fans who had a sense of ownership over the franchise. What was even more regrettable was the fans' unjustifiable anger towards the actors who were simply doing their jobs.

Unfortunately, this negative reaction effectively terminated any possibility of future movies and dashed the hopes of future generations to enjoy the memorable ghostbusting characters. It also perpetuated the underlying notion that audiences have no interest in seeing women on the big screen. The 2016 film made its intentions quite evident, but the death threats towards the women involved conveyed a clear message. This message was further solidified when Ghostbusters: Afterlife was released years later. Although the film featured female main characters, they were ultimately sidelined and overshadowed. Callie, played by Carrie Coon, transforms into a demon dog so that Ghostbusters: Afterlife can revisit the lore and focus on the return of Bill Murray's character, who ultimately saves the day. Once again, Leslie Jones' previous remarks sadly proved to be prophetic, as toxic fans always seemed to triumph.

Ghostbusters (2016) is available for rent or purchase.

Source: Leslie F*cking Jones (via ComicBook.com)