Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray in 1989 filming ‘Ghostbusters II’.Photo:Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection
Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection
DirectorJason Reitmansays his fatherIvan Reitman’s disinterest in sequels may have been why theGhostbustersfranchise languished for more than three decades.“My dad never understood sequels,” Jason, 47, said of his director dad on the most recent episode ofNeal Brennan’sBlockspodcast. “My dad was like, ‘I don’t know why people want to return to this stuff.’ ”Ivan Reitman, of course, directed 1984’sGhostbustersas well as the beloved comedy’s 1989 sequel,Ghostbusters II. But according to his son, Ivan was less interested in continuing the franchise than in telling new stories, as he did in 1988’sTwins, 1990’sKindergarten Copand 1993’sDave, among other films.Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd in a promo photo for 1989’s ‘Ghostbusters II’.Columbia/Kobal/REX/ShutterstockBefore his2022 death at the age of 75, however, Ivan did return to theGhostbustersworld as a producer on bothPaul Feig’s 2016all-female rebootand Jason’s 2021 legacy sequelGhostbusters: Afterlife. But according to Jason, his dad had some notes about the film’s inclusion of some of the ghouls from the 1984 original.“When I wroteAfterlife, and you meet this girl, and she, like, goes out to Oklahoma, and she finds a proton pack, and my dad’s like, ‘This is great,’ ” Jason told Brennan. “And then terror dogs showed up, which is the same thing as ’84, and he’s like, ‘Why Gozer? Why do we need to go back?’ He’s just like, ‘Can I just have a new story?’ ”“I think it’s one of the reasons theGhostbustersfranchise didn’t flourish, like, consistently over decades is cause my dad, afterGhostbusterswas like, ‘I’m gonna go doTwins,’ ” theJunoandSaturday Nightdirector said of his dad. “He madeGhostbusters IIand then there’s nothing for years.”A 1989 poster for ‘Ghostbusters II’.BFA / Alamy Stock PhotoJason pointed to a particular oddity from the 1989 sequel to illustrate his dad’s approach.“This is how much my dad cared about sequels: on the Ghostbusters car inGhostbusters II, it has the [Ghostbusters IIlogo],” he explained. “That doesn’t make any sense. I asked him years later, I was like, ‘Why does theGhostbustersmovielogo for the sequel appear on Ecto-1? Are they aware that they’re in a sequel? Is that why they have theGhostbustersghost with a two on the side of their physical car?’ ”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Jason Reitman and Ivan Reitman in 2021.Theo Wargo/Getty Images“My dad just was like, ‘Yeah, that was probably a mistake,’ ” Jason continued. “Like, he just didn’t [care].”“That thing that people love about Marvel, where every part of that franchise, whether it’s a lunchbox or a comic book, is touching on a collective story,” he added, “that is the opposite of my father. My father was just like, ‘I just wanna go tell a new story.’ ”
DirectorJason Reitmansays his fatherIvan Reitman’s disinterest in sequels may have been why theGhostbustersfranchise languished for more than three decades.
“My dad never understood sequels,” Jason, 47, said of his director dad on the most recent episode ofNeal Brennan’sBlockspodcast. “My dad was like, ‘I don’t know why people want to return to this stuff.’ ”
Ivan Reitman, of course, directed 1984’sGhostbustersas well as the beloved comedy’s 1989 sequel,Ghostbusters II. But according to his son, Ivan was less interested in continuing the franchise than in telling new stories, as he did in 1988’sTwins, 1990’sKindergarten Copand 1993’sDave, among other films.
Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd in a promo photo for 1989’s ‘Ghostbusters II’.Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
Before his2022 death at the age of 75, however, Ivan did return to theGhostbustersworld as a producer on bothPaul Feig’s 2016all-female rebootand Jason’s 2021 legacy sequelGhostbusters: Afterlife. But according to Jason, his dad had some notes about the film’s inclusion of some of the ghouls from the 1984 original.
“When I wroteAfterlife, and you meet this girl, and she, like, goes out to Oklahoma, and she finds a proton pack, and my dad’s like, ‘This is great,’ ” Jason told Brennan. “And then terror dogs showed up, which is the same thing as ’84, and he’s like, ‘Why Gozer? Why do we need to go back?’ He’s just like, ‘Can I just have a new story?’ ”
“I think it’s one of the reasons theGhostbustersfranchise didn’t flourish, like, consistently over decades is cause my dad, afterGhostbusterswas like, ‘I’m gonna go doTwins,’ ” theJunoandSaturday Nightdirector said of his dad. “He madeGhostbusters IIand then there’s nothing for years.”
A 1989 poster for ‘Ghostbusters II’.BFA / Alamy Stock Photo
BFA / Alamy Stock Photo
Jason pointed to a particular oddity from the 1989 sequel to illustrate his dad’s approach.
“This is how much my dad cared about sequels: on the Ghostbusters car inGhostbusters II, it has the [Ghostbusters IIlogo],” he explained. “That doesn’t make any sense. I asked him years later, I was like, ‘Why does theGhostbustersmovielogo for the sequel appear on Ecto-1? Are they aware that they’re in a sequel? Is that why they have theGhostbustersghost with a two on the side of their physical car?’ ”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Jason Reitman and Ivan Reitman in 2021.Theo Wargo/Getty Images
“My dad just was like, ‘Yeah, that was probably a mistake,’ ” Jason continued. “Like, he just didn’t [care].”
“That thing that people love about Marvel, where every part of that franchise, whether it’s a lunchbox or a comic book, is touching on a collective story,” he added, “that is the opposite of my father. My father was just like, ‘I just wanna go tell a new story.’ ”
source: people.com
