‘Ghostbusters’ Sequel Lead Role Reportedly Revealed

12-year-old actress Sarah Abbott, who appeared in episodes of Heroes Reborn and Black Mirror, is reportedly among the young tryouts auditioning for Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters 3, according to HN Entertainment.

It was previously learned the project, operating under codename “Rust City,” will center around four teenagers: two females and two males.

According to character descriptions shared by HN Entertainment, one of the roles is a 13-year-old boy described as “a conspiracy theorist” deeply into fantasy, and another is a 12-year-old girl described as a “science kid” who has difficulties connecting emotionally, unaware she makes comments others find offensive.

Descriptions for the remaining two leads have yet to surface.

Scooper Daniel Richtman noted on Twitter the character auditioned for by Abbott is listed first on the breakdown, indicating the 12-year-old girl character is the leading role.

Abbott’s audition tapes, published on Vimeo, sees the girl admit she’s working on jokes to make people “feel more comfortable” before being informed by her father she unknowingly upset her teacher by asking “if she stopped dieting again.”

The girl then defends studying a joke book, saying, “I’m not a machine, I just don’t pick up on traditional social cues,” suggesting she has autism spectrum disorder.

Scene 2.1 pre audition from Mark Abbott on Vimeo.

A direct sequel to 1984’s Ghostbusters and 1989 followup Ghostbusters II, both directed by Reitman’s father Ivan, the untitled Ghostbusters project is expected to involve original franchise stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson after the Winston Zeddemore actor acknowledged on The Johnny Dare Morning Show “fans have been wanting [a ‘passing of the torch’] dynamic to happen.”

While appearing on the show, Hudson said he had yet to be approached with a contract, clarifying comments published by Daily Mail where he remarked “everybody is in.”

When announcing the project, Reitman confirmed the next Ghostbusters is set in the same continuity as the first two films and is not connected to the 2016 reboot directed by Paul Feig.

“I’ve always thought of myself as the first Ghostbusters fan, when I was a 6-year-old visiting the set. I wanted to make a movie for all the other fans,” said Reitman, who co-wrote the script with Monster House director Gil Kenan. “This is the next chapter in the original franchise. It is not a reboot. What happened in the ’80s happened in the ’80s, and this is set in the present day.”

The project was previously harshly criticized by reboot star Leslie Jones, who later clarified she worried side-stepping the female-led reboot would carry the message that “‘boys are better.’”

Sony Pictures has since dated the untitled Ghostbusters 3 for July 10, 2020.