Melissa McCarthy Finally Opens Up About The Ghostbusters Reboot Backlash
The "Ghostbusters" franchise has taken many forms over the years, and with the impeding arrival of "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," it looks like a new generation of 'Busters is getting ready to wield the iconic proton packs against the latest otherworldly threat to the world. However, it appears that the movie's events will pretty much ignore the 2016 "Ghostbusters," which features an all-female team.
The movie, which stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon, was the target of a sexist backlash, and Jones became the target of racist abuse in social media (via The Guardian). Some cast members of the female "Ghostbusters" squad have been vocal about the situation, as Jones has slammed "Afterlife" for effectively erasing the 2016 movie from continuity.
Recently, Melissa McCarthy — who plays Dr. Abigail Yates in the movie — has shared some of her thoughts about the "Ghostbusters" reboot backlash. Here's what she had to say.
Melissa McCarthy says she doesn't understand why people choose to hate certain stories
In a recent interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, McCarthy addressed the backlash against the 2016 "Ghostbusters," and she makes perfectly clear that she doesn't understand people's need to dictate how a story can be told.
"There's no end to stories we can tell, and there's so many reboots and relaunches and different interpretations, and to say any of them are wrong, I just don't get it," McCarthy said.
The actress' point is easy to understand. Hating on certain corners of otherwise popular franchises has been quite common in recent years, and shows and movies like "Rick and Morty," "Masters of the Universe: Revelation," "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," and "The Last Jedi" have all experienced varying levels of fan backlash over the last few years.
"I don't get the fight to see who can be the most negative and the most hate-filled," McCarthy said. "Everybody should be able to tell the story they want to tell. If you don't want to see it, you don't have to see it."