‘Ghostbusters’ Remake Director Cops Heat Over Shady Remark About Female-Led Film

The announcement that classic ’80s film Ghostbusters was being rebooted once again was immediately slammed by punters, including the star of the 2016 female-led remake, Leslie Jones.

Now, more backlash has ensued following comments made by the director of the forthcoming remake.

During his appearance on the Bill Burr Podcast, Jason Reitman said the 2020 version is going to “be a love letter to Ghostbusters.”

“I love this franchise. I grew up watching it. I consider myself the first Ghostbusters fan,” he said. “I was like seven years old when that movie came out and I love it. I want to make a movie for my fellow Ghostbusters fans.”

He concludes by saying that he hopes to “go back to the original technique” and “hand the movie back to the fans,” which fans have interpreted as his implication that the 2016 rendition was too much of a departure from the original because the gang of poltergeist punchers were women.

As his comments started to do the ’rounds on social media, Twitter users took him to task over the “sexist” connotations of his messaging.

Hi @JasonReitman! Can we have a chat about this little comment you made? Because let me tell you, hoo golly, does it not only completely disregard female fans of #Ghostbusters, it actively supports the behaviors of the festering open wounds known as Men Online. pic.twitter.com/TEViOIBLey

— Alicia Lutes (@alicialutes) February 20, 2019

did you…ever actually read what people were saying? Did you actually dig into the history of abuse so many of these fanatically, irrationally angry men were throwing at women SIMPLY FOR BEING OKAY WITH SOMETHING EXISTING??

I'm serious, @JasonReitman. The abuse was insane.

— Alicia Lutes (@alicialutes) February 20, 2019

You want to support the men who harassed countless women for being excited about THE MERE PROSPECT of funny women fighting FUCKING GHOSTS? We just wanted some popcorn fun and your frothing mob of "Real Fans" felt that was an egregious error against… the sanctity of ghostmurder?

— Alicia Lutes (@alicialutes) February 20, 2019

WHEN YOU SAY SHIT LIKE THIS, @JasonReitman—with no consideration for the ACTUAL ACTIONS that you have simply dismissed and collectively decided was little more than passion—YOU CONTINUE TO ENABLE SHITTY MALE BEHAVIOR ONLINE AND PROP UP THEIR EXPECTATION TO DICTATE ALL NARRATIVES.

— Alicia Lutes (@alicialutes) February 20, 2019

And I'm not just "some idiot with a blue check mark online," @JasonReitman—I know how easy it is to dismiss loud women—but I write about this for a living. I was managing editor at a website called fucking Nerdist for 3+ years. I KNOW THE AUDIENCE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT VERY WELL.

— Alicia Lutes (@alicialutes) February 20, 2019

PLEASE stop being so flippant about the behaviors of shitty men online. It's NOT just a bunch of fucking words. It's not just the impassioned pleas of "real fans."

"Real fans" told me to kill myself, get raped, lose my job. They harassed social media managers, reporters, fans.

— Alicia Lutes (@alicialutes) February 20, 2019

Because we all had the AUDACITY to think, "hey maybe watching Paul Feig direct Leslie Jones and Kristin Wiig and Melissa McCarthy and Kate McKinnon murderin' ghosts will be a fun laugh! if [insert shitty movie here] gets to exist, it is also totally fine for this to exist!"

— Alicia Lutes (@alicialutes) February 20, 2019

It just feels like you threw some chum on the water in order to get a few more high fives from the bros in your mentions and it's a real fucking shame because I think you're better than that.

Happy to talk to you about it in a sincere capacity if you want to be an ally to women.

— Alicia Lutes (@alicialutes) February 20, 2019

lol fuck you, jason this is some deeply coded misogyny garbage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

— Alicia Lutes (@alicialutes) February 20, 2019

"let's hand the movie back to those very angry human pustules who feel like women only exist to cook me things after i shove my dick in them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

— Alicia Lutes (@alicialutes) February 20, 2019

It's unfortunate Reitman feels he is handing Ghostbusters "BACK to the fans." We spent almost an entire year fighting off sexist jerks, trying to explain nothing was being hijacked from the fans of the original (which isn't even that great to begin with.) I feel betrayed…

— Tomris Laffly (@TomiLaffly) February 20, 2019

i never want to hear the words "ghostbusters" and "fan" in the same sentence ever again

— Angie J. Han (@ajhan) February 20, 2019

Your daily reminder that the 2016 Ghostbusters movie was fucking rad as hell

— Bumblebee Stan #1 (@KamenSpider) February 20, 2019

In this version of Ghostbusters, the all-male team will only bust female ghosts who won’t stop running their mouths, just like the real fans want

— Erin frenemy of the people Ryan (@morninggloria) February 21, 2019

This quote really makes it sound like the "real" fans are the sexist, racist assholes that attacked Leslie Jones and made the entire launch of the last Ghostbusters a nightmare for the women involved and for fans who looked forward to their work. https://t.co/znmVCT7UU8

— Soraya Chemaly (@schemaly) February 20, 2019

And, yes, the notion of "giving the movie back to the fans" is, intentional or not, a deeply loaded statement considering how the "fans" made life hell (online) for women anticipating (and eventually participating in) the 2016 GHOSTBUSTERS movie.

— Scott Mendelson (@ScottMendelson) February 20, 2019

It's a neat trick how white dudebros can slyly play identity politics by referring to a default setting without explicitly saying "white" or "male" or "straight" or "cisgender" and then turn around and blast identity politics when we ask for a seat at the table.#Ghostbusters

— Charlotte Clymer????️‍???? (@cmclymer) February 20, 2019

1) This is gross
2) I will never understand why–besides the culture-war angle–anyone was so invested in the sanctity of the original. It was freaking *Ghostbusters,* not the Sistine Chapel ceiling! It was… fine! The remake was… fine!
3) This is gross https://t.co/6yC8WYz5dy

— James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) February 20, 2019

Jason Reitman Says His Version Of Ghostbusters Will “Hand The Movie Back To White Guys In Their Mid- To Late-40s” https://t.co/9Ullg9pbAt

— Chuck Wendig (@ChuckWendig) February 20, 2019

*I* am a real Ghostbusters fan (+ a "Real Ghostbusters" fan for those that remember). I LOVED Feig's movie. I'll probably love the new one too. But Reitman's comments are incredibly dismissive of the abuse female fans endured just because someone dared to have a female cast. https://t.co/OWcAYFe0lk

— Satu Runa???? (@SatuRuna) February 20, 2019

“Jason Reitman clearly isn’t playing into the hands of racists and mysogynists by saying he wants to reclaim Ghostbusters for the fans, he just wants to make a good movie” pic.twitter.com/E7iaZr2KaP

— Daniel Doughty (@danghty) February 20, 2019

Reports suggest that the new rendition of the fantasy flick will feature children as the main characters.

Jones previously tweeted that the remake is “so insulting.”

“Like fuck us. We dint count,” she wrote. “It’s like something trump would do. (Trump voice)”Gonna redo ghostbusteeeeers, better with men, will be huge. Those women ain’t ghostbusteeeeers” ugh so annoying. Such a dick move. And I don’t give fuck I’m saying something!!”

Adding, “It’s very sad that this is response I get.When the point is if they make this new one with all men and it does well which it will. It might feel that “boys are better”it makes my heart drop. Maybe I could have use different words but I’m allowed to have my feelings just like them.”

So insulting. Like fuck us. We dint count. It’s like something trump would do. (Trump voice)”Gonna redo ghostbusteeeeers, better with men, will be huge. Those women ain’t ghostbusteeeeers” ugh so annoying. Such a dick move. And I don’t give fuck I’m saying something!!

— Leslie Jones ???? (@Lesdoggg) January 19, 2019

It’s very sad that this is response I get.When the point is if they make this new one with all men and it does well which it will. It might feel that “boys are better”it makes my heart drop. Maybe I could have use different words but I’m allowed to have my feelings just like them

— Leslie Jones ???? (@Lesdoggg) January 20, 2019