Jason Reitman’s ‘Ghostbusters’ has found its lead in actress Mckenna Grace. She will play the 12-year-old girl, the “true lead” of the film.
Grace has been extremely sought out over the past few years, with several different projects under her belt at such a young age. Her most recent role was young Carol Danvers in Marvel Studios’ ‘Captain Marvel.’ Also, she’s had film roles in Marc Webb’s ‘Gifted,’ Craig Gillespie’s ‘I, Tonya,’ and Steven Spielberg’s ‘Ready Player One.’ As for television, she was in ABC’s ‘Once Upon a Time,’ Mike Flanagan’s Netflix anthology ‘The Haunting of Hill House,’ and the ABC-now-Netflix show ‘Designated Survivor.’ Not to mention she got to play another younger version of a character in Netflix’s ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.’ Next, she has the upcoming installment in the Conjuring Universe: ‘Annabelle Comes Home,’ releasing June 28th.
Moreover, 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.”
Meanwhile, Carrie Coon (‘The Leftovers,’ ‘Avengers: Infinity War’) portrays the single mother. Also, Finn Wolfhard (‘Stranger Things,’ ‘It’) will play the son and brother of Grace’s character.
Reitman took to Twitter to confirm the casting thus far:
Meet the family.#GB20 pic.twitter.com/uxO0KQatyS
— Jason Reitman (@JasonReitman) March 29, 2019
Here are the character breakdowns for the four lead roles:
- TEEN GIRL (Female/17/Lead) Frontrunner: Jenna Ortega (‘Insidious: Chapter 2,’ ‘Jane the Virgin’)
- 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) Finn Wolfhard
- 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) McKenna Grace
- 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.***
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’).
Next, 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 on-or-around October 11th, according to HN Entertainment.
Sony Pictures will release the film on July 10, 2020.
Source: Twitter, The Hollywood Reporter and HN Entertainment