At this point, it almost doesn’t matter how good the new Ghostbusters flick will be as a campy, nostalgic action-comedy romp – regardless of the film’s quality, it’ll always be branded as the film that accidentally prodded the reactionary and weirdly women-hating corner of the internet.
Right around the time it notched the dubious (dis)honour of having the most disliked trailer in YouTube‘s history, director Paul Feig lashed out. He said “geek culture is home to some of the biggest assholes I’ve ever met in my life.”
Well, it turns out those assholes haven’t stopped piling on the flick, and Feig is still trying to work it all the hell out. At a recent panel discussing diversity in film, he said “I have been hit with some of the worst misogynistic stuff”, and “I used to [hear] that people had haters and I was like ‘How does that happen?’”
Co-panelist Octavia Spencer chimed in too, adding “the fact that there are people who take any type of umbrage with [the movie] is mind boggling to me.”
Whether you’re keen to judge the film on its merit or its conspicuous lack of male protagonists, you’ll just have to wait for it to drop on 14 July. Feig might have a better handle on the internet’s vitriol by then, too.
Photo: Todd Williamson / Getty.
