More leaked Sony Pictures emails surfaced today, revealing many of its plans for the future and how executives view the actors who star in their movies. One email even shows that they considered legal action to look into Bill Murray to get him to do Ghostbusters 3.
The Daily Beast published several excerpts from emails about and from the studio’s talent. These included two exchanges centered on the long-gestating third Ghostbusters movie.
On Oct. 31, 2013, David Steinberg, head of Sony Pictures’ legal department, wrote to Leah Weil, the studio’s general counsel, about Murray, who had reportedly said he didn’t want to make another Ghostbusters movie. In the email, Steinberg appears to suggest that they were considering taking “‘aggressive’ litigation counsel” to figure out what Murray really wanted to do. However, in the same email, Steinberg wrote that he was worried about what the public would think if they investigated such a beloved icon.
The email reads:
“In order to more fully evaluate our position if Bill Murray again declines to engage on ‘Ghostbusters’, AG requested that we identify ‘aggressive’ litigation counsel with whom we can consult to evaluate our alternatives and strategize. Personally, while I’m fine with aggressive, I think we are in much worse shape if this goes public so seems to me we should look for someone who isn’t seeking the spotlight.”
As TheWrap notes, it’s unclear if the studio is still going after Murray for a part in the new film. Over the summer, Sony hired Paul Feig to do a Ghostbusters reboot with an all-female team. In fact, another email written by Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal to original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman from Oct. 4, 2014 features a discussion over potential stars.
Pascal wrote that she heard Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer and Lizzy Caplan said they want to be in the film. (Rebel Wilson really wants to do it too, but Pascal must not have heard from her yet.)
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