Here's Why Emma Stone Passed On The Female-Centric GHOSTBUSTERS, Plus Spoilery Plot Details

When word came out that Bridesmaids director Paul Feig would be directing an all-female Ghostbusters movie, the internet immediately started fan-casting. Along with Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, two of Feig's former stars who ended up ultimately scoring roles in the film, fans really wanted to see Emma Stone suit up to bust some ghosts alongside the comedy stars. And it turns out she was actually offered a role, but ended up turning it down.

She explained her decision to the Wall Street Journal:

“The script was really funny. It just didn’t feel like the right time for me. A franchise is a big commitment—it’s a whole thing. I think maybe I need a minute before I dive back into that water.”

That's a perfectly reasonable response, and a mentality like that is probably why Stone seems like one of the most well-adjusted young stars in Hollywood right now. Knowing your own limits is a powerful thing, especially when it means turning something down that would otherwise be extremely lucrative for you. Instead, she'll join Ryan Gosling in La La Land and Steve Carell in Battle of the Sexes, so she'll be just fine.

Meanwhile, some spoilery details have come to light about the new Ghostbusters movie thanks to The Boston Herald. The production is gearing up to start shooting there (sections of Boston will double for New York City), so the newspaper has some brief information about how Wiig and McCarthy's characters become Ghostbusters. Again, these should be considered mild spoilers, so turn back if you want to go in completely fresh:

Wiig and McCarthy play a pair of unheralded authors who write a book positing that ghosts are real. Flash forward a few years and Wiig lands a prestigious teaching position at Columbia U. (Like the original, the story takes place in New York City, even though it’s being shot in Boston.) Which is pretty sweet, until her book resurfaces and she is laughed out of academia. Wiig reunites with McCarthy and the other two proton pack-packing phantom wranglers, and she gets some sweet revenge when ghosts invade Manhattan and she and her team have to save the world.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what Feig does with this franchise all these years later. His Spy is one of the best action comedies of all time, so it'll be cool to see if he can recapture that magic with this beloved property.