Paul Feig hates that the ‘Ghostbusters’ reboot is being branded a "chick flick".
The 53-year-old director has insisted that just because actresses Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones have been cast as the ghost-fighting gang, the forthcoming movie will appeal to all fans of the franchise and not just women.
Speaking about the criticism his version has faced after he opted to give the lead roles to women instead of men, he said: "We still get called in the press as a ‘chick flick.’ We are always referred to as ‘the all-female ‘Ghostbusters”. It’s just an uphill battle and I can’t believe we are having to deal with it…. There were a bunch of people that were angry that there was a reboot."
Feig was also surprised and disappointed that a colleague approached him and warned him about the perils of working with women.
He said: "I had some male producer say, ‘Oh boy, get ready. It’s going to be tough, you’re going to have catfights.’ And I said, ‘Who the f**k are you?’ It was the most wonderful experience I’ve had."
Meanwhile, the director – whose other credits include female-driven titles such as ‘Bridesmaids’ which starred McCarthy and Wiig, ‘The Heat’, and ‘Spy’ – admitted the decision to cast a black actress as a subway worker called Patty Tolan was also criticised, but insisted it was a role originally created for Jones’ co-star McCarthy.
He told The Wrap: "I feel bad that many have taken a bad look at Leslie Jones’ character. We originally wrote it for Melissa, and then when we were putting it together, we figured Melissa had played a role like that before.
"Leslie is so funny at playing this kind of a character that we put her in there. I am the first to admit, while I am a fighter for women, my record for diversity has not been as good and I take responsibility for that."
Paul Feig: Don’t call Ghostbusters a chick flick
