Paul Feig in talks for Italian Job sequel

The Ghostbusters filmmaker is said to be in early discussions with Paramount Pictures about leading the project, which would be a follow-up to the 2003 heist movie.

According to Deadline, Paramount is currently looking for a writer for the project.

The 2003 film - which was inspired by the original Sir Michael Caine-starring 1969 movie of the same name - centred on Mark Wahlberg as master thief Charlie Croker who sets out on a revenge mission, and also featured Charlize Theron, Edward Norton and Jason Statham.

It was the studio's highest-grossing release of the year, bringing in $176 million. A sequel was mooted at the time but talks never came to fruition.

Feig's next project will be The Housemaid's Secret, a follow-up to his 2025 hit The Housemaid. He is also attached to horror movie Detention for Blumhouse Atomic Monster.

Meanwhile, the 63-year-old director recently admitted he still gets a "hard time going on the internet" because of people who loathe his Ghostbusters movie, which featured a female-led cast including Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon.

Speaking at the 2026 Nantucket Film Festival, per People, moderator Ophira Eisenberg, 54, quizzed Feig about the "ridiculous" backlash and criticism he faced from online trolls after the 2016 flick was released.

Although hesitant at first to do a Ghostbusters movie, Feig thought a female-led cast could work.

He said: "I was like, 'If I can reboot it and I work with all these funny women, that seems like a way to distance myself from the first one and not, like, ruin that legacy, but take the idea and reboot it over here.' I thought it's the greatest idea ever.

"Little did I know it would just set off this lightning rod of - I still have a hard time going on the internet. There's still guys that will just excoriate me up there."

Feig admitted the film's release came at "the worst time", with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump battling it out to become president.

He added: "It somehow unnecessarily became a political statement to go see that movie. And most audiences are like, 'I just want to see a comedy. I want to have some fun.'"

He said: "I don't regret it. I'm very proud of it, but it definitely caused me more trouble than I needed in my career."