Chris Hemsworth Joins ‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot as New Receptionist
If you had told us about a year ago that Chris Hemsworth would be starring in the new Ghostbusters movie, we never would’ve guessed he’d be the one sitting behind the desk answering phones. But, the Marvel action hero has indeed signed on to Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot as the ersatz Janine Melnitz to Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.
Feig announced the news on Twitter with a simple tweet:
Because this new Ghostbusters movie is not as simple as a gender-swapped version of the original film, don’t expect Hemsworth to be playing a character similar to Janine, but instead as new a creation as all four of the new Ghostbusters. We’ll guess that Hemsworth’s hunky good looks won’t go to waste though.
Around the time he signed on for a brief supporting role in the upcoming Vacation reboot, it was reported that Hemsworth wanted to branch out into comedy and was taking steps to separate himself from his Thor persona. This supporting role in Ghostbusters is another clear indication that Hemsworth is fine not being the star if he gets to have a few laughs.
What’s interesting is how otherwise quiet the Ghostbusters casting front has been considering the film starts shooting next month. You’d think by now we’d have more cast attached than just the four women and now Hemsworth. SNL’s Cecily Strong and Peter Dinklage were early rumors to join the film, but there have been no formal updates.
There continue to be reports of an additional Ghostbusters film that would feature a male cast (including Channing Tatum), but whether or not that will ever intersect with this version remains to be seen (and would Hemsworth ever graduate from receptionist to full-fledged Ghostbuster?).
Ghostbusters is set to hit theaters on July 22, 2016.