‘Ghostbusters’ May Have Jenna Ortega as the Frontrunner for a Lead Role

Mar 12, 2019

According to That Hashtag Show, there’s a rumor Jenna Ortega is high on the list for a lead role in Jason Reitman’s ‘Ghostbusters.’ So, she is potentially in the running for the teen girl role.

Ortega has had roles in ‘Iron Man 3,’ ‘Insidious: Chapter 2,’ CW’s ‘Jane the Virgin,’ and the Disney series ‘Elena of Avalor.’ She will next be in the second season of Netflix’s ‘You.’

Here are the character breakdowns for the four lead roles, with the role for Ortega in bold:

  • TEEN GIRL (Female/17/Lead)
    • Works at a local American Graffiti style carhop on roller skates. She’s cool and quick witted. She meets TEEN BOY and begins a flirtation that turns into a real friendship.
  • TEEN BOY (Male/15/Lead)
    • He is fifteen, but tells people he’s seventeen. He’s passionate about auto-mechanics. he’s often trying to help his little sister (GIRL) navigate the world as she struggles with traditional friendships. His family moves to town and he’s immediately smitten with TEEN GIRL.
  • BOY (Male/13/Lead)
    • He is a passionate enthusiast for fantasy and conspiracy theories. He is all heart and approaches everything with unbridled excitement for the unknown. He’s often narrating life in real time, adding “descriptive color” to the people and situations he encounters. He meets GIRL and immediately becomes friends. Likely diverse.
  • GIRL (Female/12/Lead)
    • She is off the charts smart and struggles with interpreting and expressing emotions. She speaks with a flat delivery that make her observations humorous. Her science acumen proves invaluable throughout the story as she navigates her complicated family dynamics. Sister to TEEN BOY. ***This role is the true lead of the movie.***

Meanwhile, Carrie Coon (‘The Leftovers,’ ‘Avengers: Infinity War’) is in talks for the mother role. Also, Finn Wolfhard (‘Stranger Things,’ ‘It’) is in talks for the teen boy role.

The premise is below:

“Set in the universe of the original two Ivan Reitman films, the story revolves around a single mom and her family, who have mysterious ties back to the first 1984 movie.”

However, the characters from the Paul Feig reboot will not be returning, due to the film being outside of continuity. The screenplay is from Reitman (‘Juno,’ Tully’) and Gil Kenan (‘City of Ember,’ ‘Monster House’).

Moreover, the crew members thus far:

  • Production designer François Audouy (‘The Wolverine,’ ‘Logan’)
  • Cinematographer Eric Steelberg (‘Up in the Air,’ ‘A Quiet Place’)
  • Supervising art director Tom Reta (‘The Cabin in the Woods,’ ‘Rampage’)
  • Visual effects supervisor Sheena Duggal (‘Doctor Strange,’ ‘Venom’)

Additionally, while not official, original actor Ernie Hudson has stated that the original actors may be returning.

Further, filming will begin on-or-about June 25th, for 15 weeks, in Calgary, Alberta. The on-location shoot in Canada will wrap around October 8th.

Sony Pictures will release the film on July 10, 2020.

Source: That Hashtag Show