It's not hard to see how simple logic would lead a person to believe that Melissa McCarthy will star in the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot. The actress is not only one of the most popular comediennes working in features today - making her an easy fit for the all-female cast - and she has a good amount of experience collaborating with director Paul Feig, having starred in his last two films (Bridesmaids and The Heat). But while it makes all the sense in the world that McCarthy would be joining the cast, nothing has been made official at this point.
McCarthy was recently a guest on The Ellen Show, and addressed the subject of the Ghostbusters reboot while sitting down with host Ellen DeGeneres and fellow guest Lena Dunham. During the conversation, DeGeneres made the insinuation that McCarthy was already signed on for the franchise project, but the Tammy star instantly corrected her, saying that she is not attached to the feature in any capacity. The host insisted that she heard McCarthy was attached to star, but the claim was vehemently denied it, repeating "I'm not in!" and shaking her heard.
Of course, this doesn't mean that McCarthy won't end up in the film, only that she hasn't signed a deal. If she does want to be a part of the project, however, she may want to let her interest be known. As Lena Dunham pointed out when the subject of the Ghostbusters reboot came up in conversation, there are a lot of actresses in Hollywood who would really love the chance to be a part of the film. Said the Girls star, "Since I heard that rumor, I think every lady in town who fancies herself a jokester is in." It's very likely that McCarthy has an edge over the rest, but there are a hell of a lot of funny women working in the movie industry today. She might want to call in a favor.
At this stage we don't know too much about the new Ghostbusters film other than the fact that it will be restarting the continuity and will not be featuring cameos from Harold Ramis, Bill Murray or Ernie Hudson in their original roles (though it's possible that they could wind up coming back as different characters). The Heat's Kate Dippold is writing the script, and, if you couldn't already tell, the cast is currently empty (though I personally dig Bill Murray's suggestions of McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Linda Cardellini and Emma Stone). Sony has not yet announced an official release date for the reboot, but it's expected that production on the movie will begin early next year - meaning that the film will likely be arriving in theaters sometime in 2016.
