Phil Lord and Chris Miller truly seem to have the Midas touch. As the duo explained to us while on the set of the upcoming 22 Jump Street, every feature project they have taken on - from Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs to 21 Jump Street to The LEGO Movie - seemed like a terrible idea at the start of its development, but they have managed to create gold each and every time out. Given their incredible success and current popularity, it made plenty of sense when it was revealed last month that the two directors were being offered the chance to make Ghostbusters 3, but sadly it looks like that won't be happening.
A reporter from The Wrap has revealed on Twitter that while Lord and Miller did meet with the producers and executives behind the project, the filmmakers ended up walking away from the negotiating table. Being a 139 character message there aren't any specific details, but the reporter does say that Lord and Miller are trying to keep their options open.
For those upset by this news, there is a silver lining. In another Tweet from the reporter, he confirms that the door is still open for Lord and Miller, but that the studio is now pursuing some other options.
The exact state of Ghostbusters 3 at this point is a bit unclear. Following the death of Harold Ramis, who played Egon Spengler in the first two movies, director Ivan Reitman announced that he was stepping down from the director's chair and would be working only as a producer on the project.
The script is said to focus on an entirely new team of young Ghostubsters, but members of the old team - meaning just Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson, really - will apparently have small parts as well. Sony is planning to have the new sequel at the start of 2015, presumably in target of a 2016 release date, so expect the hunt for a director (or directors) to continue over the next few weeks/months.
Personally, I have rather mixed feelings about how this Phil Lord/Chris Miller/Ghostbusters 3 situation has worked out. On the one hand, if Ghostbusters 3 is definitely going to happen, I would love to see it fall under the control of two fantastically talented directors who would give me a great deal of confidence in the project. On the other hand, Lord and Miller have shown such an incredible amount of creativity in their work that I don't want to see them shackled by yet another adaptation or franchise, but instead work on something original. It's a tough call.
But what do all of you think? Are you sad that Phil Lord and Chris Miller probably won't be the guys to make Ghostbusters 3? Tell us what you think in the comments section, and for some other possible director options you should check out our feature 10 Directors Sony Should Consider For Ghostbusters 3.
