For a major studio comedy—and a franchise film at that—we’ve seen very little by way of marketing materials for Sony Pictures’ Ghostbusters thus far. But it looks like that’s about to change, as the first official look at Chris Hemsworth’s character arrived online tonight by way of a new image, which was followed quickly by new looks at the main cast of characters. In keeping with the gender-bending of the film, Hemsworth fills the role of the Ghostbusters’ secretary, which was played by the irreplaceable Annie Potts in the first two films. We don’t know much more about the Marvel actor’s new character just yet, but he showed some comedic promise in that Vacation remake and is no slouch in the Thor movies either, so I’m eager to see what kind of spin he puts on this franchise.
Perhaps most important thing to remember is the fact that Hemsworth is working with co-writer/director Paul Feig, who mined comedic gold out of Jason Statham in this summer’s Spy. If there’s even more untapped comedic talent to be found in the Australian actor, Feig will no doubt expose it.
The film finds Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon taking the lead as the titular Ghostbusters, who are needed when New York falls prey to ghosts from a variety of different places and times. New looks at their characters give us a better feel for what we might expect, with McKinnon continuing to look like an absolute badass.
Much has already been written about this new approach to the franchise, but I still feel Feig’s angle was the way to go. Trying to fill the shoes of the original characters was going to be an impossible task, so why not try something entirely different with a group of incredibly funny women?
With these images popping online tonight, I have to wonder if the first trailer might be aiming for a high-profile debut during the Super Bowl next week. If not then, expect the first footage to arrive very soon. For now, take a look at these new images below via Ghostbusters.com:
