Ghostbusters director Paul Feig: Stop calling the film a 'chick flick'

'It’s just an uphill battle and I can’t believe we are having to deal with it'

The new Ghostbusters is getting a lot of flack from fans of the original, most of which focusses on the ‘all female’ cast. Even in the press, it has been labelled a ‘chick flick’ on numerous occasions; something that has angered director Paul Feig.

“We still get called in the press as a ‘chick flick.’ We are always referred to as the all-female Ghostbusters,” Feig told an audience at Saturday’s Produced By Conference, as reported by The Wrap.

“It’s just an uphill battle and I can’t believe we are having to deal with it. There were a bunch of people that were angry that there was a reboot.”

Critics have been quick to belittle the casting of Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon as the film’s lead actors.

Another criticism, based on the trailers so far released, has focused on Leslie Jones’ character, people speaking negatively about the African-American member of the squad being “street smart” while the rest are scientists.

Addressing the controversy, Feig said: “I feel bad that many have taken a bad look at Leslie Jones‘ character. We originally wrote it for Melissa, and then when we were putting it together, we figured Melissa had played a role like that before.

“Leslie is so funny at playing this kind of a character that we put her in there. I am the first to admit, while I am a fighter for women, my record for diversity has not been as good and I take responsibility for that.”

Feig also mentioned how one unnamed male producer once gave him some ridiculous ‘advice’ about the project. “I had some male producer say, ‘Oh boy, get ready. It’s going to be tough, you’re going to have catfights,’” he recalled. “And I said, ‘Who the f— are you?’ It was the most wonderful experience I’ve had.”

In recent Ghostbusters news, Dan Aykroyd heaped praise onto the film, angering fans of the original.