Gosling, Tatum, & Pratt for Ghostbusters? Sony hack reveals interest/plans

December 15th 2014, 9:51am

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

A few days back we shared the news that the ongoing massive Sony email hack had revealed that Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer and Lizzy Caplan were all interested in joining the all-female GHOSTBUSTERS reboot, which is to be directed by Paul Feig, but now even more interest has been revealed…only this time it's from some big male stars.

The Daily Beast revealed one big name for Feig's GHOSTBUSTERS reboot: DRIVE and ONLY GOD FORGIVES actor Ryan Gosling. In a lengthy email exchange between an exec at Sony Pictures Entertainment and a talent manager who represents Gosling it was revealed that Gosling is interested in joining the new GHOSTBUSTERS in the 'one male part Paul (Feig) is planning' for the film.

But Gosling isn't the only actor that wants in on some Ghostbusting action. Other hacked emails also revealed that MAGIC MIKE star Channing Tatum wants to strap on the proton pack, and he wants to bring along JURASSIC WORLD star Chris Pratt for the adventure.

In leaked email exchanges between Tatum and Sony exec Amy Pascal it was revealed that Tatum wants to headline another film in the GHOSTBUSTERS universe, with the star stating…

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!!!

Another email from Hannah Minghella, co-president of production for Columbia Pictures, to Pascal and a team of Sony execs outlines Tatum’s plan: to star in a GHOSTBUSTERS spin-off film alongside Chris Pratt, with the film produced by the Russo brothers, who helmed CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. From the email:

“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. 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 the email above is Reid Carolin, Tatum’s producing partner. It seems that all parties involved have kept Pratt out of the loop, presumably wanting to hear the feasibility of the project from Sony first before approaching him with it. Guess the cat's out of the bag now, huh?

Further info pulled from emails from Minghella show that Paul Feig’s promise of a truly terrifying GHOSTBUSTERS reboot really is the overall goal for not just one movie, but any potential shared universe including spinoffs. Terms like 'super scary' are tossed around, which makes this guy happy…but don't worry, it'll also be 'super funny'. Minghella's emails reveal:

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.

While I'm not completely sold on Feig's GHOSTBUSTERS reboot (yet), I still like the idea of expanding the universe to include spinoffs and the like. But in a response to the series of emails, Sony co-chairwoman Amy Pascal doesn't seem to thrilled, simply writing: