Paul Feig Blames Donald Trump for Female Ghostbusters Backlash

Paul Feig said in a new interview with The Guardian that a lot of the vitriol he faced online during the release of his female “Ghostbusters” reboot in summer 2016 stemmed from supporters of Donald Trump, who infamously called out the reboot in a video post. The film starred Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones as the eponymous paranormal investigators.

“The political climate of the time was really weird, with Hillary Clinton running for office in 2016,” Feig said. “There were a lot of dudes looking for a fight. When I was getting piled on, on Twitter, I’d go back and see who they were. So many were Trump supporters. Then Trump came out against us. He was like: ‘They’re remaking Indiana Jones without Harrison Ford. You can’t do that. And now they’re making Ghostbusters with only women. What’s going on?’ and got all upset.”

“Everybody went fucking cannibal,” Feig continued. “It turned the movie into a political statement, as if to say: ‘If you’re pro-women, you’re going to go see this. If you’re not, then …’ I didn’t think it mattered at all that the main characters were women, but people brought a lot of baggage.”

The “Ghostbusters” reboot became a prime example in Hollywood of an inclusive tentpole being targeted by toxic fandoms. Earlier this year, original “Ghostbusters” star Ernie Hudson told The Independent that he was somewhat disappointed in the all-female reboot because “it wasn’t what fans were hoping for.”

“Look, I’m a fan of Paul Feig so I have nothing negative about him to say,” he said. “Other than: I don’t quite understand why you do a reboot, you know what I mean? Just make another movie.”

But Hudson’s “Ghostbusters” co-star Dan Aykroyd has long defended the reboot. The comedian told People magazine in July that he “loved” the movie “Feige made with those spectacular women,” adding: “I thought that the villain at the end was great. I loved so much of it. And of course, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones and Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, you’re never going to do better than that. So I go on the record as saying I’m so proud to have been able to license that movie and have a hand and have a part in it, and I’m fully supportive of it, and I don’t besmirch it at all. I think it works really great amongst all the ones that have been made.”

The “Ghosbusters” franchise was back in theaters earlier this year with the release of “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” which starred original actors Hudson, Aykroyd and Bill Murray. While the next live-action film has not yet been announced, the “Ghostbusters” franchise will next be getting an animated series on Netflix.