After years of waiting and development hell, it seemed like there would never be another sequel in the original Ghostbusters franchise. But, as if rising from the grave like a specter, Ghostbusters 3 is officially happening. Jason Reitman, the son of the original Ghostbusters director, is on board as director, but not a lot about the film is known. We do know that it will feature several new characters who will strap on proton packs, and it looks like the lead actor has been found. McKenna Grace ain't 'fraid of no ghosts!
While technically a sequel to the comedy classic that starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson, there's no word on if any of those characters will return. Instead, four teenagers -- an older set and a younger set -- are taking over as our main characters, and it sounds like they will be led by Mckenna Grace.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mckenna Grace has been cast in the new Ghostbusters film. The report even goes as far as to say that Grace might be in the starring role, which would be a major get for the rising star. Grace joins the already cast Finn Wolfhard and Carrie Coon. Wolfhard will play her brother while Coon is their single mother.
Mckenna Grace should be a familiar face to many. She recently played the younger version of Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel, which went on to break numerous records at the box office. Playing younger versions of a main character has become something of a specialty for Grace, having also done it in The Haunting of Hillhouse, I, Tonya, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The young actor also starred alongside Chris Evans in the drama Gifted.
Jason Reitman's Ghostbusters has been the subject of some debate ever since it was announced. Some saw it as a response to the sexist backlash that plagued the all-female Ghostbusters reboot, and this wasn't helped by the director's poor choice of words that they were giving the franchise "back to fans."
However, the casting of Mckenna Grace as the ostensible lead and the focus of an all-new, younger cast seems to put those criticisms to bed. After all, you don't make the lead of your legacyquel a 12-year-old girl if you are trying to appease the "Ghost Bros" who trolled an all female Ghostbusters movie.
All in all, the new Ghostbusters is shaping up with a really promising cast. Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard are rising stars and Carrie Coon is amazing in everything she's ever done her whole entire life. (I'm a big Leftovers fan). I'm curious to see who they will cast to play the other two teenagers or how involved the original cast will be. Until then, enjoy this tweet from Reitman celebrating his newly casted family.
There's no release date for this movie just yet, but be sure to keep checking in with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated.
