The actor who played the fourth member of the team, Winston Zeddemore, will play an unspecified role in the remake. Hudson was glimpsed on the set of the film during the final day of shooting over the weekend.
In the 1984 film, Hudson’s character was a late addition to the team, joining up with founding members Aykroyd, Murray, and Harold Ramis when the infestation of supernatural entities in New York City became more than the trio could handle. Initially a skeptic, Zeddemore famously responded to a question regarding his own belief in the paranormal by telling team receptionist Janine Melnitz (played by Annie Potts), “If there’s a steady paycheck in it, I’ll believe anything you say.”
Hudson’s return for the remake was initially confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, which expressed some uncertainty regarding the actor’s exact role in the film. As with Aykroyd and Murray, he isn’t expected to reprise his role from 1984’s Ghostbusters.
The core cast of the remake features four new, female paranormal investigators. Kristen Wiig will play a character named Erin Gilbert, and she’s joined by Kate McKinnon as Jillian Holtzman, Melissa McCarthy as Abby Yates, and Leslie Jones as Patty Tolan. In a bit of additional gender-flipping, Thor actor Chris Hemsworth will play the team’s receptionist in the remake.
The cast will also feature Andy Garcia as the Mayor of New York City, Neil Casey as the film’s unnamed villain, Michael K. Williams as a character named “Hawkins,” Matt Walsh as a character named “Rourke,” and NY1 news anchor Pat Kiernan playing — no surprise here — a New York City news anchor.
Feig co-wrote the script for the film with his collaborator on The Heat, Katie Dippold.
The remake of Ghostbusters is scheduled to hit theaters July 22, 2016.
