When Ghostbusters 2 arrived in theaters during the summer of 1989, fans were eager to see how they'd top the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from the 1984 original. Along came the Statue of Liberty, which was sort of a disappointment. Now, with the 2016 reboot almost in theaters, fans are wondering the same exact thing. The answer this time is: Rowan's Ghost. We get a good look at this spooky specter, albeit only in Toy form. Funko Pop has unveiled their new Ghostbusters toys, and Rowan's Ghost is amongst the initial line-up. Here's the full press release.
"Everybody knows there's no such thing as ghosts. But don't tell true believers Abby Yates, Erin Gilbert, Jillian Holtzmann, and Patty Tolan. Despite being humiliated and doubted, they're so sure that ghosts exist, they're going to go into business to prove it even hiring a receptionist out front to answer the phones. And when these paranormal pros figure out that somebody is bringing ghosts back from the afterlife, they realize that not only do ghosts exist they need busting. To save the world, who you gonna call?"
The interesting thing about these Funk Pop toys is that they refer to Rowan as 'Rowan's Ghost', indicating that the character starts off the movie as human. He will be played by Neil Casey, a veteran Saturday Night Live writer. He's the one mentioned in the above synopsis released with the toys. And apparently, he will be the one to uncage all the haints these Ghostbusting ladies have captured.
We first learned about Rowan back in February, when the Rowan action figure was shown off at New York Toy Fair. The Mattel rep at the event confirmed that Rowan was the main villain. A review of the movie surfaced on Reddit, though Sony Reps later assured us that some of the stuff in this critique was 'false'. That review did explain how Rowan starts off as a human. He is on a mission to release all the tormented souls that the Ghostbusters have locked up, and dies in the process. He returns as a ghost to possess both Melissa McCarthy and Chris Hemsworth, as seen in the two trailers that have been released. After possessing Chris Hemsworth, he takes over NYC using his new ghost army. When the girls finally release Rowan from Kevin's body, he asks, 'What form do you choose?' As suspected, The Ghostbusters pay homage to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, only this time it's Leslie Jones who conjures what looks to be the cheery spirit from the iconic No Ghosts logo.
Bloody Disgusting has even more information on Rowan. They explain that the villain is a convicted murderer who is executed in the midst of a 'supercharged electrical storm'. This gives him the power to raise the dead and form a super army of haunting haints. These evil ghosts are made up of some of the most infamous villains in history.
We have a look at all of the Funk Pops here. Included in this first wave along with Rowan's Ghost are the characters played by Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon. We also get Chris Hemsworth as the secretary Kevin and the awful ghost Gertrude Eldridge. She is the one seen puking on Kristen Wiig in the trailer. So, what do you think? Cool toys? Or do you still hate the idea of this new rebooted all-female Ghostbusters? Sound off in the comments below.
