Was there any doubt? As Paul Feig has talked up his female-led reboot of "Ghostbusters," a number of names have been floated as possible contenders for starring roles, but it was only a matter of time before Melissa McCarthy‘s involvement went from rumored to possibly official. She’s already worked with Feig to great success in "Bridesmaids" and "The Heat," so it was almost inevitable she’d be back to work with him again.
THR reports that early talks are underway for McCarthy but there’s a whole of bunch of things that need to be sorted out first. Foremost is McCarthy’s schedule which has to juggle her CBS sitcom "Mike & Molly" (that’s still on?) and her upcoming comedy "Michelle Darnell" which was recently slated for a 2016 release. For now, a March window is possible for McCarthy but the trade says "creative meetings" also need to happen before anything is signed. So put this all down for a big MAYBE at the moment.
Other contenders? Well, Emma Stone recently turned down J.C. Chandor‘s "Deepwater Horizon" with Mark Wahlberg (the script isn’t ready yet) so she’s theoretically available. Jillian Bell ("Workaholics") and Cecily Strong ("Saturday Night Live") are taking meetings with Feig, so consider them in the mix.
Basically, everything seems to be in very early stages, though a spring shoot is apparently being eyed if it can work out. More names will probably surface before this is all locked down so share your suggestions below.