Movies
First Female to Flip On a ‘Ghostbusters’ Proton Pack?
Confirming news from last last year, THR says that Melissa McCarthy, pictured above, is in early talks to star in Ghostbusters, the female-focused reboot of the classic comedy, directed by The Heat and Bridesmaids helmer Paul Feig.
While she is in talks, there are several hurdles that need to be overcome before McCarthy can reteam with Feig for what would be their fourth movie together.
McCarthy has a very complicated schedule due to her CBS TV show, “Mike & Molly,” and an already pack movie slate, says the site. She is committed to shoot the Universal comedy Michelle Darnell, which is being directed by her husband and Tammy collaborator Ben Falcone.
But sources say that talks are underway that would see McCarthy, who became a movie star working with Feig in Bridesmaids, shoot Michelle Darnell in mid-March, allowing her then to shoot Ghostbusters in June.
The Ghostbusters reboot is said to be an origin story of new characters who take up ghostbusting and not a “hand-off” movie from the original 1984 film (though there is a small chance that surviving Busters Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson could make cameo appearances).
THR has also learned that Jillian Bell, below, from “Workaholics,” and “Saturday Night Live” comedienne Cecily Strong are due to meet with with Feig regarding the movie…
Allegedly, the plan is to land “Game of Thrones” fav Peter Dinklage for the villain role. He would play the ghost of a murderer (sort of like Wes Craven’s Shocker, actually) who resurrects a ghost army based on historical characters.
Movies
‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons Is No Fan of Generative AI: “Defeats the Purpose Entirely for Me”
There has been a lot of talk recently about filmmakers embracing generative AI as part of the filmmaking process, from Darren Aronofsky to Martin Scorsese. But what about filmmakers that are against the use of Gen AI for creative pursuits? You can count 20-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons among that group, which should give you some hope for the future.
In a new chat with The Australian, the self-taught young filmmaker makes it crystal clear that he won’t be using generative AI in any of his upcoming filmmaking projects.
“I think I’m in the same boat as most well-adjusted people,” Parsons tells the outlet. “If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”
“What interests me more is interrogating it artistically,” Parsons notes. “We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That’s become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot.”
He explains, “I’m interested in using that iconography in art – not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents. I definitely want to explore it further in future projects.”
Kane Parsons also notes during the interview with The Australian, “… there’s so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening.”
Backrooms marks young prodigy Kane Parsons’ feature directorial debut, and it’s based on his own series of YouTube videos that were brought to life using Blender, the open-source 3D computer graphics software suite. So it’s no surprise that Parsons, who has hand-made his filmmaking career up to this point, isn’t buying into the hoopla around Generative AI.
His debut feature is the #1 movie in the world, so perhaps he’s onto something.
What’s next from Kane Parsons, you ask? Stay tuned…
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