He was set to direct the project, which was expected to film in the first part of this year in Boston and see Tracy Morgan join the franchise as a long-lost sibling. Reitman was looking forward to directing again and had plans to this year helm Triplets, a sequel to his Twins, the 1988 comedy that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as unlikely twins. He wraps my scarf around my neck in a really dangerous way and says, ‘Hey, thanks for coming, see you later,’ and he ushered me right out of the room.” And Bill, the bravest of the group, walks to me. “I made the mistake of saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be better if …’ and made some suggestion,” Reitman said. Reitman noted that group had been working together for some time. Reitman said their first encounter was at a rehearsal of National Lampoon with Murray, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Ramis and Brian Doyle-Murray. While Reitman collaborated with Murray multiple times, their first meeting didn’t go so well, Reitman said in a 2016 interview with PBS. While Sony has not announced a sequel, the door was left open for more. “The very first time that he explained that he thought he had a Ghostbusters idea that he was considering doing, he told me the story, and I could feel the emotionality of it and how it was such the right idea to continue this story that I was fortunate enough to direct in ’84.”Īfterlife earned $128.8 million domestically and received a positive response. “I started weeping way back, as soon as Jason told me the story,” he said in the same interview. Truly.”Īs for Afterlife, Ivan Reitman told Screenrant he was crying after hearing Jason’s idea to continue the franchise. All of us in comedy owe him so very much. He directed some of my favorite comedies of all time. “I had the honor of working so closely with Ivan and it was always such a learning experience.

“I’m in absolute shock,” Feig tweeted Sunday night. He wound up as a producer on that film, which ultimately became 2016’s female-led Ghostbusters and was directed by Paul Feig. “It’s impossible to explain how it feels to be next to not only the world’s foremost authority on Ghostbusters but also one of the great storytellers of our time, who I can turn to and trust while making the movie,” he said.īefore son Jason came on board the franchise with his own take, Ivan Reitman was originally supposed to direct his third Ghostbusters film but pulled out after the death of original star Harold Ramis and given Bill Murray’s reluctance to get on board at the time. In an interview with Screenrantlast year, Jason elaborated on the experience of working with his father on the film. Both men expressed some level of frustration that the film was pushed multiple times due to the pandemic, as they were eager for fans to see it, but understood that safety was paramount. And took great pride in working alongside his father for the latest chapter in the franchise. Jason said at the time that he made the film just as much for fans as for his father. Not only did the irreverent supernatural comedy starring Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis gross nearly $300 million worldwide, it earned two Oscar nominations and spawned a veritable franchise, including spinoffs, television shows and a new movie, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which opened in 2021 that his son, filmmaker Jason Reitman, directed. He directed Bill Murray in his first starring role in Meatballs and then again in Stripes, but his most significant success came with 1984’s Ghostbusters. Known for big, bawdy comedies that caught the spirit of their time, Reitman’s big break came with the raucous, college fraternity sendup National Lampoon’s Animal House, which he produced. A great talent and an even finer man he will be dearly missed. Ivan Reitman was an inseparable part of this studio’s legacy, but more than that he was a friend. Said Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group: “Tonight, the lady with the torch weeps, as do all of us at Columbia, and film lovers around the world. Shawna Trpcic, 'The Mandalorian' and 'Ahsoka' Costume Designer, Dies at 56 While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.” “We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. “Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” children Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said in a joint statement. Reitman died peacefully in his sleep Saturday night at his home in Montecito, California, his family told The Associated Press. Ivan Reitman, the influential filmmaker and producer behind beloved comedies from Animal House to Ghostbusters, has died.

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