Channing Tatum Proposed A 'Ghostbusters' Spinoff With Chris Pratt
Even as Sony sets up plans for its Ghostbusters reboot, it may have an eye on a Ghostbusters spinoff. Leaked emails from the Sony hack reveal Channing Tatum wants to team with Joe and Anthony Russo (of Captain America: The Winter Soldier) for a new Ghostbusters movie, in which Tatum would star with Chris Pratt. According to Tatum, it'll be like "a HUGE BATMAN BEGINS MOVIE" in terms of "epicness."
More on the possible Channing Tatum Chris Pratt Ghostbusters project after the jump.
The Daily Beast reported on the potential Channing Tatum Chris Pratt Ghostbusters project. Back in August, Tatum wrote to Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal proposing a Ghostbusters pic: "Let us show the world The DarkSide and let us fight it with all the glory and epicness of a HUGE BATMAN BEGINS MOVIE. I know we can make this a huge franchise. Fun adventure craziness. COME OONNNN!!!"
A later email to Pascal from Hannah Minghella, co-president of production for Columbia Pictures, described Tatum's plan in more detail. "So... in a curious turn of events – the Russos and Channing want to develop Ghostbusters as a vehicle for Channing and Chris Pratt to do together," she wrote.
The Russos, Channing and Reid have been brainstorming ideas and want to create a whole new mythology that would support multiple movies (the way that Nolan reinvented Batman). To be clear – the Russos want to produce (not direct) and while Channing and Chris are looking for a movie to do together they haven't mentioned this to him yet because they weren't sure how we'd react.
(The "Reid" mentioned in that message is presumably Reid Carolin, Tatum's partner.)
Minghella continues:
They want to make it simultaneously super scary while also super funny. They love the idea that they are mortal heroes who are believers in the paranormal and the only people who can defend mankind from a paranormal threat. I know we're mid negotiations with Paul [Feig]. I'm not sure whether we'd ever develop two different versions simultaneously. Joe Russo is open to the idea that both movies could be developed in partnership so they compliment one another within the same Ghostbusters universe. Apparently the Russos are very close to Paul and Joe suggested Paul could be attached to direct both. Personally I think it's possible for the female version to co-exist with this other version so maybe they're not mutually exclusive.
A Tatum / Pratt Ghostbusters spinoff directed by Paul Feig and produced by the Russo brothers would definitely get some attention. On the other hand, it may be a bit premature to start planning a spinoff when the reboot isn't even off the ground yet. The powers that be at the studio reportedly seemed interested, but as of now we don't know what Sony has decided to do.
Tatum and Pratt previously starred together in 10 Years, a high school reunion film released in 2011. Since then, Tatum has moved up to the next level with films like 21 Jump Street, Magic Mike, and Foxcatcher. Pratt, meanwhile, broke out in a huge way this year with The Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy, and will star net year in Jurassic World.
The Feig-directed Ghostbusters reboot — the one that Sony has already announced — has been surrounded by a swirl of casting rumors in recent days. Rebel Wilson and Jennifer Lawrence have confirmed they've spoken with Feig, and other emails from the Sony hack indicate Emma Stone, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, Lizzy Caplan, and Ryan Gosling have expressed their interest as well.
It's expected to be a total reboot of the original property, though Pascal has told original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman she wants to find "a clever way" to connect the old and new Ghostbusters movies.