Chris Hemsworth to play receptionist in all-female ‘Ghostbusters’

After the all-female cast was announced for Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot, online conversation started on whether the role of receptionist would also receive a gender-reversal.

The answer is a firm yes with Chris Hemsworth joining the cast to play the most junior employee in the firehouse. The announcement was made on Twiter by Feig, who posted Hemsworth picture captioning it “Our receptionist. #whoyougonnacall”.

Hemsworth, best known for playing Thor in Marvel’s cinematic universe, will be working for a team that consists of Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. The role of receptionist was previously played by Annie Potts in the original film.

According to Variety, Hemsworth was approached about a role early in the process but turned it down for being too small. Since then, Feig and co-writer Katie Dippold have increased the size of the part.

Paul Feig’s all-female reboot will be his next film as his latest comedy Spy continues to do strong business, making $88 million (Dh323 million) after just one week at the international box office. Production on the film will begin later this summer with a summer 2016 release date on the cards. It will begin a new Ghostbusters cinematic universe which is also rumoured to include a male reboot, potentially starring Channing Tatum.

Hemsworth will next be seen in this summer’s comedy remake Vacation and in Ron Howard’s Oscar-tipped In the Heart of the Sea. He is at present filming Snow White prequel The Huntsman.

— Guardian News & Media Ltd