Paul Rudd joins the cast of upcoming Ghostbusters film - but who is he playing?
Is Rudd the new Bill Murray?
Who ya gonna call? Paul Rudd, apparently: the Ant-Man star has joined the cast of the upcoming Ghostbusters sequel.
The Avengers actor made the announcement via a video posted on Twitter, standing outside Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8 (the filming location of the original Ghostbusters HQ).
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"It's such an epic film. I love it,” He said, speaking about the 1984 movie starring Bill Murray.
"When I heard that Jason Reitman [son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman] was going to be doing a new version in the fall, my agents called him and said, ‘Hey Jason, we hear there’s the part of a young – semi-young – strapping man that needs to be cast, who are you going to call?’
"When I heard they were going to call me, well… as you can imagine, I nearly slimed myself. I can’t wait to join the cast this fall for Ghostbusters. In fact, I’m sliming myself right now."
Who is Paul Rudd going to play in Ghostbusters?
Rudd’s role isn’t exactly clear at this point, although Variety claims he’ll play a teacher in the new film. If this is the case, there's a chance the actor – arguably the Bill Murray of his generation – could mirror the original Ghostbusters with his part. While the 1984 classic started with a group of scientists (played by Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson) investigating paranormal activities in Columbia University, perhaps Rudd's teacher will be looking into some spooky happenings in his school.
Rudd joins a cast including Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard and Gifted star Mckenna Grace. Weaver will also reprise her role as Dana Barrett in a film that will follow on from the original two Ghostbusters films and – as far as we can tell – be unrelated to the 2016 reboot starring Kristen Wiig.
Ghostbusters 3 will be released in US cinemas on 10th July 2020. It has not yet been revealed when the film will come out in the UK.
Authors
Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.