Melissa McCarthy is in early talks to star in the 'Ghostbusters' reboot.

The 44-year-old actress has previously been rumoured to be involved in the project, but is now in talks with the film's director, Paul Feig - who she worked with on 'Bridesmaids', 'The Heat' and 'Spy' - to play the lead character in the franchise's female-led movie.

Despite early discussions taking place, it is believed there could be difficulties with scheduling, as the star is currently working on CBS comedy 'Mike & Molly' and has already committed to feature in Universal comedy 'Michelle Darnell' - directed by her husband, Ben Falcone - which is set to begin shooting in March, meaning production wouldn't start until at least mid-June.

The movie - which has been penned by Dan Aykroyd and Katie Dippold - is expected to have a comic twist, while 52-year-old director Paul recently revealed he is aiming for the film to be scarier than its predecessors.

He said: ''I want ours to be scarier than the original, to be quite honest. Katie Dippold and I are so focused on wanting to do scary comedy. We don't want to hold back.''

While Emma Stone, Rebel Wilson, Jennifer Lawrence and Kristen Wiig are all rumoured to be attached to the project, further casting details have not yet been revealed and it is not believed any cast members have officially been signed up.