Melissa McCarthy joins all-female ‘Ghostbusters’

WASHINGTON – When there’s something strange, and a man won’t do, who ya gonna call? Female Ghostbusters.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Melissa McCarthy has signed on to star in an all-female remake of “Ghostbusters” (1984), which starred her “St. Vincent” (2014) co-star Bill Murray.

The new movie will be directed by McCarthy’s “Bridesmaids” director Paul Feig, who tweeted a scheduled release date of July 22, 2016.

Sony is also reportedly negotiating with “Bridesmaids” co-star Kristen Wiig, as well as “Saturday Night Live” stars Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon.

The “SNL” ties are fitting, considering the original 1984 cast included “SNL” alums Murray and Dan Aykroyd, alongside Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson.

Hollywood reboots have a terrible track record, and the 2016 “Ghostbusters” remake certainly lacks originality. But if you must remake a movie classic, a gender swap might just be the way to do it.

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Jason Fraley

Hailed by The Washington Post for “his savantlike ability to name every Best Picture winner in history," Jason Fraley began at WTOP as Morning Drive Writer in 2008, film critic in 2011 and Entertainment Editor in 2014, providing daily arts coverage on-air and online.

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