The Problem of Gender-Exclusive Ghostbusters Movies
Can’t we all just bust ghosts together?
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before—Hollywood has a gender problem. But this particular problem isn’t necessarily about a lack of female-driven film franchises, or realistic, three-dimensional characters, or whether films pass a measuring stick such as the Bechdel test. Those are all very real issues that continue to necessitate conversations on gender in Hollywood. But the specific issue I’m referring to can best be highlighted by the existence of two separate, upcoming Ghostbusters reboots: One with an entirely female main cast, and one entirely male.
When Paul Feig’s upcoming Ghostbusters 3 was first announced to feature an all-female cast of four team members back in January, it seemed, for better or worse, to be a fairly progressive idea. Yes, some fans of the classic, 1984 original were upset. Yes, those people expressing their disappointment IN ALL CAPS, by and large, had a tendency to be male. Go figure. But the casting made sense, particularly in conjunction to Feig, the director of Bridesmaids and The Heat, and one of the only bankable male directors in Hollywood who has taken a particular interest in championing women for leading roles in comedies. (That would be roles where they’re not playing “girlfriend of main character,” by the way.)
The revelation of the second, “male-centric” reboot, however, throws not only itself but the Feig reboot into a more negative light. In short, it hints at the way Hollywood is not only ignoring a divisive gender gap but actively encouraging the widening of that gap by preying upon a polarized, partisan audience in an attempt to make them fight a gender battle with their wallets. Instead of coming together in a symbolic way to create something together, the producers of these films see those all-caps shouters as their target demographic—and if there are two sides, why not make two films? Each gender gets to enjoy their own little slice of pandering ghost-busting that way, right? The studios get to profit off people who are ensconced on both sides of a bitter dialog and laugh all the way to the bank.
Let’s ask the question, then: What would be so awful about a team of Ghostbusters that wasn’t immediately defined (and marketed to audiences) via its gender? Would the all-female reboot not work with a male on the team? Would the all-male reboot lose its precious market share if a woman put on that brown jumpsuit? Could we, heaven forbid, conceive of a film universe where those two genders were treated as equally likely to be interested in busting ghosts? I realize that I’m really asking people to venture out on a ledge with that one.