Actor and comedian Paul Rudd has joined the cast of the upcoming Ghostbusters film. The announcement was made by Rudd himself in a video by Ghostbusters HQ “Hook and Ladder 8” fire station that was posted on the official Ghostbusters Twitter account earlier today.
Look who accepted the call. #GB20 pic.twitter.com/QwYSiw5pBq
— Ghostbusters (@Ghostbusters) June 27, 2019
The new movie, which will begin filming in Calgary later this summer, is a continuation of the original Ghostbusters franchise conceived by Dan Aykroyd and influenced by his Kingston-area ancestral home.
Ghostbusters will be directed by Jason Reitman, who not only had a brief cameo in Ghostbusters 2 (pictured below) but is also the son of original director Ivan Reitman who will produce the newest installment.
According to reports, Jason Reitmen said he has been wanting to work with Rudd since his short film opened for ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ at Sundance, adding: “I’m thrilled he’ll be joining this new chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe.”
According to reports, Rudd is slated to play a school teacher in Ghostbusters opposite Canadian actor Finn Wolfhard from HBO’s “Stranger Things” – whose character dressed up as a Ghostbuster in season 2 of “Stranger Things” (below) – McKenna Grace, the young actress who portrayed the Carol Danvers in “Captain Marvel”; and Carrie Coon (FX’s ‘Fargo’) who has been cast as their single mother.
These actors will be joined by original Ghostbusters stars Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and Sigourney Weaver. McKenna Grace will also have a familiar face in the original cast, as Annie Potts (Ghostbusters secretary Janine Melnitz) is likewise expected to return. Potts currently stars as Sheldon Cooper’s ‘Meemaw’ in CBS’ “Young Sheldon”, where Grace has a recurring role.
Ghostbusters was conceived by Dan Aykroyd at his family farm just north of Kingston, influenced by generations of family involvement with the paranormal, including his father, Peter Aykroyd, who authored A History of Ghosts: The True Story of Séances, Mediums, Ghosts and Ghostbusters.
Dan spoke more about the paranormal history of his family and the Aykroyd family farmhouse in this snippet from Reelz “Ghostbusters: Behind Closed Doors”:
The new Ghostbusters is expected to hit theaters July 10, 2020
