Aykroyd: Female Ghostbusters is ‘beautiful development’

Dan Aykroyd is “delighted” Ghostbusters 3 has a female-driven cast.

It was announced yesterday that the latest instalment of the classic comedy franchise, previously male-driven, will star Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon. Now Dan, who wrote the original film, has praised the choice to have it led by females rather than males.

"The Aykroyd family is delighted by this inheritance of the Ghostbusters torch by these most magnificent women in comedy," Dan said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

The comedy legend, 62, hinted at how significant this is for equality in the industry. Speaking on behalf of his family, he praised the positive impact it has on he and their “legacy”.

"My great grandfather, Dr. Sam Aykroyd, the original Ghostbuster, was a man who empowered women in his day, and this is a beautiful development in the legacy of our family business,” he continued.

The movie’s director Paul Feig suggested that the casting news was concrete on Tuesday by tweeting an image of Melissa, Kristen, Leslie and Kate. The Hollywood Reporter claimed Melissa was officially on board, whilst Kristen was still in negotiations with Sony which were thought to be near completion.

Seemingly confirming the news, Leslie took to her own Twitter account on Wednesday to acknowledge and “retweet” some congratulatory words aimed at her. Nothing has yet been formally said by Kristen, Melissa or Kate.

Paul, who also directed Melissa and Kristen in Bridesmaids, was eager to continue delivering news.

“In other news, #Ghostbusters will be hitting theaters July 22, 2016. Save the date!” he wrote on the social networking platform on Wednesday.