When rumors began circulating that a new Ghostbusters movie was in the works, fans were not clear if it would be in the form of a part three or a reboot. The trailers have put the rumors to rest confirming that the new film will be a reboot with an all-female cast. That raised a lot of questions among many fans. Who will the bad guy be? Are they keeping the old theme song? What will the new Ghostbuster uniforms look like? From what we know, the film will follow a similar plot while introducing a few twists on the original. Today, we wanted to break down these similarities and differences with a Ghostbusters infographic that we created just for you!
Infographic Created by PureCostumes.com
SNL Roots
The conception of Ghostbusters all started with Dan Akroyd, who based the premise of the film off of his family’s interest in the paranormal. He gathered a team of hard-hitting comedic actors including SNL castmate Bill Murray, and Second City comedians like Harold Ramis and Rick Moranis. Similarly, the remake features a cast of talented SNL comics including Bridesmaids co-stars, Melissa McCarthy and Kristin Wiig.
The Formation of the Ghostbusters
In the 1984 original, the founding members of the Ghostbusters were once professors at Columbia University. After losing their jobs, they decide to create a paranormal investigation and extermination business. The fourth member of the group, Winston Zeddemore, later joins despite his lack of knowledge or experience in the paranormal field.
From the released trailers and circulating rumors, Abby and Erin, (played by Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, respectively), are best friends who co-write an unsuccessful book that claims ghosts are real. Erin later lands a teaching gig at Columbia University, only to be laughed out of her position when her book resurfaces. When paranormal activity plagues the city, she reunites with Abby and takes on additional members to form the new Ghostbusters squad.
Template of Characters
Aside from the obvious gender-swapped replacement of characters, the 2016 Ghostbusters remake seems to be sticking to a similar template of characters including three professor-type brainiacs and one civilian add-on. However, in the upcoming version we should expect to see the civilian character, (played by Leslie Jones), take the role of comedic relief in the group.
The Plot
The trailers reveal a similar plot structure. City is plagued by increasing paranormal activity. Ghostbusters arrive to save the day. A feared demon is threatening to bring upon the apocalypse. A familiar character becomes possessed. A giant monster is released upon the city. So far, it seems like the reboot will follow the same outline as its predecessor. Only time will tell what twists and turns the director has up his sleeve.
The Ghosts and Monsters
The original film gave us iconic apparitions including Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. We also were introduced to the main antagonist of the film, Gozer, a supernatural being who was summoned to destroy the world. The trailer reveals that we’ll be revisited by Slimer. It also unveils a large dragon-like ghost who appears at a heavy metal concert. They also mention the villain will be named Rowan who will likely act as the replacement for Gozer in this incarnation. The Ghostbusters comic book series mentions a Rowan Schow who was magician whose spirit inhabits a film and feeds off human belief. However, it’s not clear if they will use this information in the movie.
The 2016 Ghostbusters movie is scheduled to premiere on July 15. Do you plan on seeing it? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section!
