Sony Sets up Ghost Corps to Handle ‘Ghostbusters’ Franchise
Sony has formed a new production company called Ghost Corps which will be exploring and developing ways of further capitalizing on the Ghostbusters brand through movies, TV shows and merchandise products.
Named to head the new Sony Company are original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman and writer-star Dan Aykroyd. Also joining them as principals are Tom Pollock, Ali Bell and Alex Plapinger, who are Reitman's partners in his own Montecito Productions.
The first order of business for the newly formed company is to produce a follow-through movie for the upcoming all-female Ghostbusters film now being helmed by Paul Feig starring Kirsten Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong and Leslie Jones. In fact, they have already tapped Joe and Anthony Russo to direct, Drew Pearce to write the screenplay, and Channing Tatum and his business partners Reid Carolin and Peter Kiernan to produce an all-male, action-oriented Ghostbusters counterpart movie. Ghost Corps is reportedly also keen on attaching Tatum to star and take the leading role in the movie project.
Reitman in an interview with Deadline about the new company said: "We want to expand the Ghostbusters universe in ways that will include different films, TV shows, merchandise, all things that are part of modern filmed entertainment. This is a branded entertainment, a scary supernatural premise mixed with comedy. Paul Feig's film will be the first version of that, shooting in June to come out in July 2016. He's got four of the funniest women in the world, and there will be other surprises to come. The second film has a wonderful idea that builds on that. Drew will start writing and the hope is to be ready for the Russo Brothers' next window next summer to shoot, with the movie coming out the following year. It's just the beginning of what I hope will be a lot of wonderful movies. My primary focus will be to build the Ghostbusters into the universe it always promised it might become. The original film is beloved, as is the cast, and we hope to create films we will continue to love."