Ernie Hudson has been cast in the new female-fronted Ghostbusters movie, despite famously calling the concept “a bad idea”, according to several US reports.
It’s not known if Hudson will reprise his famous role as Winston Zeddemore, the sole African American member of the original quartet from Ghostbusters in 1984 and its less well-received sequel in 1989, or take a new role. Reports suggest the actor was on set for the final day of shooting on Paul Feig’s remake on 19 September.
Bridesmaids director Feig has cast frequent collaborators Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy alongside Saturday Night Live alumni Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon as the new Ghostbusters team, a move that has seen disturbing vitriol levelled at the director on social media. Last October, Hudson appeared to have misjudged the public mood when he described the idea of an all-female cast as a “bad idea”. He also said he did not “think the fans want to see that” and suggested that if women were involved, “if they’re not funny, at least hopefully it’ll be sexy”.
The actor later issued a statement in which he praised Feig’s remake: “Four fiercely funny, foxy, females busting ghosts … phenomenal!”
Original ghostbusters Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd also appear in the new film. Murray will reportedly play Martin Heiss, a professional supernatural debunker who stands in opposition to the new team, while Aykroyd has an unspecified cameo role, reportedly as a taxi driver. Harold Ramis, who played ghostbuster Egon Spengler in the 80s movies, died in February 2014.
Feig’s movie, due in cinemas next July, also stars Chris Hemsworth as the new team’s secretary.
