The contentious movie Emma Stone turned down: “It just didn’t feel like the right time”
Beginning her career with the likes of Zombieland and Easy A and then going on to star as Gwen Stacey in The Amazing Spider-Man, Emma Stone seemed set to become a leading lady for comedies and blockbusters. But 20 years into her career, she’s now a two-time Academy Award Winner and quirky indie darling. Most recently, she’s become Greek weird wave director Yorgos Lanthimos’ muse and collaborator, appearing in three of his films (with the fourth incoming in 2025).
Before arthouse fame found her, she was on a steady trajectory to being typecast as slightly different versions of her “teary cry-smile” self. Unshockingly, the franchises came a-knocking early on. The year she starred as Peter Parker’s love interest Gwen, she was also approached by Paul Feig to appear in his all-female reboot of Ghostbusters. Ultimately, the movie starred the quirky female comedians Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon, instead. And interestingly, this came at a turning point in Stone’s career.
The decision to reboot the beloved franchise, originally starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson, was sadly contentious at the time. Murray’s refusal to commit to a return and the death of actor and creator Ramis led Sony Pictures to decide against creating a sequel. With the announcement of an all-female cast, many long-term fans were outraged.
Its trailer even became one of the most polarising YouTube videos, with over a million dislikes to 280,000 likes. While some claimed this was due to a lack of interest in reboots, nostalgia for the old films and a lack of humour in the trailer, it was undoubtedly caused more by ingrained misogyny and a lack of respect from buying into the tired trope that women can’t be funny.
However, this in no way impacted Stone’s decision regarding the film. Speaking to WSJ, she explained, “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.” At this point in her career, she had started to turn to more unique and independent roles. In the same year as The Amazing Spider-Man 2, she also appeared in Alejandro Iñárritu’s critically acclaimed Birdman.
And, the year Ghostbusters came out, Stone starred in La La Land. Arguably, the making of her career, although she considers it to be Battle of the Sexes, she went on to win the Oscar for ‘Best Actress’ for the musical role. Meanwhile, she had also taken to the stage in the Broadway production of Cabaret.
So, the offer for Ghostbusters had come at a time in Stone’s career when she could finally pick and choose her roles instead of just taking what she was given. And, with two paths laid in front of her, she took the proverbial road less travelled. Just two years after Ghostbusters, she starred in her first Lanthimos film, The Favourite. Now, seven years later, she’s solidly an indie ‘It Girl’.
Although Spider-Man wasn’t her last turn in a franchise. In 2021, she played Cruella de Vil in Disney’s live-action origin story of the iconic 101 Dalmatians villain. While this saw her once again enter the franchise world, it was more in line with the way she saw her own career trajectory. While speaking to WSJ, she mentioned that she’d be excited to “play someone crazy or dangerous, something she could really let loose with—maybe even a villain.” Lo and behold, Cruella fit the bill… but we’re still waiting for the much-discussed sequel.
