Feig was speaking at the South by Southwest Festival where his new comedy 'Spy' is showing.
Paul Feig, the director of the upcoming all female Ghostbusters reboot has been at SXSW this weekend, showing his latest offering Spy starring Melissa McCarthy. But when the director took some time out to speak to Vanity Fair his attentions quickly moved to the problems women still face in Hollywood, something which he now has first hand experience with thanks to Ghostbusters.
Paul Feig will direct the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot
“The Internet is really funny – I love it, but I hate it at the same time,” Feig told the magazine. “The first wave when you make an announcement like that is overwhelmingly positive. Everyone’s so happy and you’re like, ‘This is great.’ Then comes the second wave and you’re like, Oh my God. Some of the most vile, misogynistic shit I’ve ever seen in my life.”
The director said he thought Twitter was probably the worst place for the vitriol, adding that the most extreme thing he’d heard in the last four months was ‘Thanks for ruining my childhood.’
“It’s so dramatic,” Feig continued. “Honestly, the only way I could ruin your childhood is if I got into a time machine and went back and made you an orphan.”
More: 'Ghostbusters' Reboot: Melissa McCarthy Confirmed, Kristen Wiig in Talks
While we’ve known about the upcoming female Ghostbusters for months now, last week Sony announced it was planning an all-male reboot of the franchise as a counterpart to Feig's film. Joe and Anthony Russo are said to be lined up to direct the flick, while Channing Tatum is reportedly in talks to star.
But wether Tatum suits up or not Feig isn't worried about the competition. “I’d heard some rumblings about it,” Feig told Vanity Fair of the project. “Who knew there were so many ghosts to be busted in the world?”
More: Sony Planning All-Male 'Ghostbusters' Movie with Channing Tatum
“All I know is my ladies are going to kick ass and I would not want to go into battle without them,” the director continued.
Speaking about his current project Spy, which stars Melissa McCarthy and is premiering at the festival, Feig said, “I’ve always wanted to do a spy movie, but nobody’s going to let me do a Bond or a Bourne movie.”
“So I thought I’d write my own for one of the lovely ladies that I love,” the director continued. Adding that he couldn't imagine anyone in the role other than Melissa McCarthy, who will also be starring in the upcoming Ghostbusters.
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