Anghus Houvouras thinks Channing Tatum is too good looking to be in Ghostbusters…
I know you’re thinking the same thing. You knew it was wrong he minute you heard that Sony is planning a combined Ghostbusters Cinematic Universe and bringing in Channing Tatum for the lead role. Channing Tatum; the most beautiful man in the world. Chisled from granite with the steely eyed gaze that could launch a thousand spontaneous orgasms. This beautiful deity who walks among mortal men. This is who they chose to be the new face of the Ghostbusters franchise.
Seriously?
By now, you know how I feel about the franchise fracking that’s going on in Hollywood right now. Ghostbusters has become the latest bet Sony is willing to place a few hundred million dollars on, and they’re banking on Channing Tatum for the win. I like Tatum. I think he’s adequate in action films like White House Down and really good in comedies like the 21 Jump Street series. I’m not appalled by his success, nor am I surprised by this choice, but there’s a problem:
Channing Tatum is too good-looking to be in the Ghostbusters.
The Ghostbusters were a ragtag group of loveable losers. Square pegs who could not fit into the round holes of the civilized world and had to carve their own path. They were schlubs. Pock marked, overweight, imperfect characters. No one would have called any of the original Ghostbusters an ‘Adonis’ (maybe Ernie Hudson). No sir. The Ghostbusters weren’t the handsome leading man type. They were the other guys. Which of those two categories do you think Channing Tatum belongs in?
Just picture the scene when Bill Murray’s Doctor Peter Venkman is trying to court Sigourney Weaver’s Dana Barrett. Sure, Murray is charming. But he’s not exactly the kind of studly leading man who could have any woman he wants. Venkman had to work for it. He had to use the power of his personality to seduce women. The Ghostbusters were relatable that way. You rooted for them because they were underdogs. I could name a dozen actors off the top of my head with the chops for that kind of role. Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen, Donald Glover, Danny Pudi, etc. To be fair, these could be some of the names we see popping up to join Tatum. We could still have a cast of lovable loser uniting to bust some ghosts with one really, really, really good-looking guy.
Still, when I heard the news, my immediate reaction was something like ‘huh wha wha wha?’ It’s a new movie and they may be taking a new direction, but the appeal of The Ghostbusters was their everyman quality. While most women would probably like it Channing Tatum was every man, it’s not exactly the kind of ‘average joe’ I was hoping who anchor the Ghostbusters relaunch.
Anghus Houvouras is a North Carolina based writer and filmmaker. His latest work, the novel My Career Suicide Note, is available from Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5&v=ONsp_bmDYXc&feature=player_embedded
Originally published March 10, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
