Ghostbusters 2020 Casts Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd ain't afraid of no ghosts.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe star best known for his role as Scott Lang (a.k.a. Ant-Man) is in "final negotiations" to join the cast of Ghostbusters 2020, Variety announced in an exclusive report.
Jason Reitman, the son of original Ghostbusters movie director Ivan Reitman, stands at the helm of Ghostbusters 2020, which was formerly titled Ghostbusters 3. The filmmaker couldn't be more pleased with Rudd's impending on-boarding, revealing in a statement that he's dreamt of collaborating with Rudd for years: "I've been wanting to work with Paul Rudd since my short film opened for Wet Hot American Summer at Sundance. I'm thrilled he'll be joining this new chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe."
The character Rudd is lined up to play doesn't yet have a name (at least not one that's being disclosed as of this writing), though we do know that he's a teacher. Given that Stranger Things breakout Finn Wolfhard and Gifted actress Mckenna Grace, who also played young Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel, are already on the Ghostbusters 2020 roster, it stands to reason that Rudd's character works at the school Wolfhard and Grace's characters attend. Who knows? Maybe he'll get mixed up in their ghost-busting adventures!
Studio Sony Pictures is keeping plot details secured inside a proton pack for the time being, but sources close to Variety with knowledge of the production have indicated that Ghostbusters 2020 centers on a single mother (played by Carrie Coon) and her son (played by Wolfhard). The film, slated to begin principal photography sometime this summer, is described as an "extension of the original Ghostbusters."
Rudd also joins Academy Award nominee Sigourney Weaver, who knows a thing or two about what it's like to lead a sci-fi movie, for Ghostbusters 2020. It was recently reported that Weaver will reprise her Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II role as Dana Barrett.
"It's going to be crazy working with the guys again!" Weaver told Parade, referring to original franchise stars Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, both of whom are expected to appear in the new movie.
Ghostbusters 2020 is a great gig for Rudd, whose star is burning brighter than ever in the heyday of Marvel movies. Hot off the release of Avengers: Endgame and with the future of the MCU unclear for the time being, Rudd seems ripe for the taking. Reitman made the right move selecting the Ant-Man actor for the new Ghostbusters installment, as the film now might have a sizable portion of the Marvel fandom behind it thanks to Rudd's involvement. This is hugely beneficial to Ghostbusters 2020, which has already garnered some serious backlash over Reitman's past remark that the movie is "handing" the Ghostbusters franchise back to fans. It looks like Rudd will add extra star-power and attract another group of fans to Ghostbusters 2020.
Written by Reitman and Gil Kenan, Ghostbusters 2020 is scheduled to open in theaters on July 10, 2020.