Who Ya Gonna Call? Ghost Corp? ‘Ghostbusters’ Goes Global

The Ghostbusters reboot, which incidentally has already received mixed reviews, has yet to hit theaters. However, Sony is already in full ghost mode, relying on a fever-pitched frenzy high enough to justify their creation of a Ghost Corp division within their walls. The studio has already managed to bring two Ghostbusters alum, director Ivan Reitman and star Dan Aykroyd, on board. So what is Ghost Corp?

Sony Pictures anticipates creating a massive Ghostbusters franchise in the hopes that they will be able to use recent comic book-to-film franchises as their business model. Their plan is to create a similarly styled Ghostbusters universe that will encompass movies and TV shows, as well as Ghostbusters merchandise, reports the Verge.

Following their first project, which everyone is already familiar with as the all-female Ghostbusters reboot, Sony’s Ghost Corp plans to bring out a male-driven Ghostbusters film as well. Sony is hopeful that they will be able to bring in the Russo Brothers (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) for that film. Rumors also cast Channing Tatum in a starring role with Drew Pearce, writer for Iron Man 3, creating the script.

Unlike Bill Murray, who is conspicuously absent from the project, Ivan Reitman seems incredibly thrilled to be involved.

“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.”

Ghost Corps is no small endeavor. Aside from Reitman and Aykroyd, Deadline confirms that Tom Pollock, Ali Bell, and Alex Plapinger are all onboard with the Sony Ghostbusters project, which will be physically located on the Culver City lot.

This may be the right time for a massive Ghostbusters franchise to take off. The days of star power are fading, as audiences flock more toward films that feature ensemble casts as opposed to the single headliner action movies of the 90s. Bringing Ghostbusters into a big multi-platform franchise will give Sony a competing edge against other studios that are already waist deep in franchises, like Disney, Warner Bros, and Paramount, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“Sometimes things happen at the speed they are supposed to happen,” Reitman said. “The deals were so strong on that second movie that the [‘Ghostbusters’] franchise became frozen in place 25 years. Nothing got done, we all had the power to block whatever we didn’t like, but we finally got together and found a way.”

Of course, the success seems hinged on how well that first reboot does, and if the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special was any indication, Ghostbusters stars Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon definitely have the chemistry to make the reboot a big hit.