After the all-female cast was announced for Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot, online conversation began to focus on whether the role of receptionist would also receive a gender reversal.
The answer is a firm yes, with Chris Hemsworth joining the cast to play the most junior employee in the firehouse. The announcement was made by Feig on Twitter:
Our receptionist. #whoyougonnacall pic.twitter.com/wGTzs8KdUs
— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) June 10, 2015
The star, best known for playing Thor in Marvel’s cinematic universe, will be working for a team that consists of Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. The role of receptionist was previously played by Annie Potts in the original film.
According to Variety, Hemsworth was approached about a role early in the process but turned it down because it was too small. Since then, Feig and co-writer Katie Dippold have increased the size of the part.
Paul Feig’s all-female reboot will be his next film as his current comedy, Spy, continues to do strong business, making $88m (£57m) after just one week at the international box office. Production on the film will begin later this summer, with a summer 2016 release date on the cards.
It will herald a new Ghostbusters cinematic universe which is also rumoured to include a male-led spin-off, potentially starring Channing Tatum.
Hemsworth will be seen next in this summer’s comedy remake Vacation, and in Ron Howard’s Oscar-tipped In the Heart of the Sea. He is currently filming Snow White prequel The Huntsman.
