'Ghostbusters': Paul Feig Defends Female-Fronted Reboot Against Internet 'A**holes'

UPDATE: On Sunday, May 8, Feig took to his Twitter account to address the headline-making interview, noting that the quotes in the New York Daily News article were taken from a book on geek culture Feig gave over a year and a half ago that the author then sold to the Daily News. “The ‘assholes’ of which I speak are the ones who live online, who write those hateful tweets and posts and comments,” he clarifies. “I’m not talking about the people who have true concerns and worries about the rebooting of a franchise they love, nor am I talking about people who have watched the trailer for our movie and didn’t like it.” Read all of Feig’s statement here.

It hasn’t been the easiest road to release for the new “Ghostbusters” reboot. While the film’s female-fronted cast seemed to divide hardcore “Ghostbusters” fans from the minute the project was greenlit, a major outcry was unleashed after the film’s first trailer dropped in the beginning of March. While comedy is certainly subjective, opinions around the trailer were largely negative, so much so that last week news broke that the preview was the most disliked film trailer in YouTube history. As of this posting, the trailer ranks number 11 with 728k dislikes. All of this negative buzz certainly isn’t the kind of response Sony was hoping for.

READ MORE: ‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot Trailer Most ‘Disliked’ In YouTube History: Is It Remake Fatigue or Sexist Rage?

Unsurprisingly, the team behind the reboot has been coming to the film’s aid in the lead-up to its release on July 15. Earlier this week, Melissa McCarthy gave an interview in which she agreed with fans that the trailer was incredibly misleading and didn’t speak to what the actual finished product is like. “It’s weird that [the trailer says] ’30 years ago,’ but in this movie it’s like the first one didn’t happen,” she said. “”It’s a great story but told totally differently. It’s the same thing of four unlikely heroes, it’s in New York city, ghosts are taking over. It’s the same classic story, but it’s not a ’30 years later,'”

McCarthy may have been in a rather polite defense mode, but that’s certainly not the case for the film’s director, “Spy” and “Bridesmaids” helmer Paul Feig. In a recent interview with the New York Daily News, Feig lashed out at the film’s abundant critics. “Geek culture is home to some of the biggest assholes I’ve ever met in my life,” Feig said. “Especially after being attacked by them for months because of this ‘Ghostbusters’ project.”

Feig’s sentiments speak to the larger attacks against “Ghostbusters,” which have been pouring in way before the trailer hit and ever since the idea of a female-fronted reboot was first sparked. “I don’t care what shape or size or color or anything they are,” he said about his cast of funny ladies. “I live or die on what things are funny and whether or not people will be entertained by them.”

Speaking about McCarthy more specifically, he added, “I don’t care what she looks like. As long as she’s funny and is a professional. She’s hilarious.”

Considering the film’s response on YouTube, it doesn’t seem like the Internet critics and fanboys are going to slow down any time soon. All of this is premature, of course, and we’ll know whether or not the film is a worthy “Ghostbusters” film when Sony releases in theaters nationwide on July 15.

Watch the trailer for Feig and McCarthy’s “Spy” below…

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