Jason Reitman steps into the director's chair for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, taking over the franchise from his father, Ivan Reitman, who directed the original two Ghostbusters films. The new movie follows the grandchildren of Ghostbuster Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) as they investigate ghosts and their legacy. Ghostbusters: Afterlife premieres in theaters on November 19.
Screen Rant spoke with Jason and Ivan Reitman, who serves as a producer on the film, about Ghostbusters: Afterlife, working together, and what they disagree on.
Screen Rant: I knew this film was going to be good, but I did not expect to cry like a baby.
Jason Reitman: If you were crying, you should have seen my dad cry.
Were you?
Ivan Reitman: Yeah, very much. I started weeping way back, as soon as Jason told me the story. 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.
Working together on this film, father and son, sounds wonderful. I'm sure it's not without challenges, though. I want to know the biggest disagreement you two had while making this movie if there was one.
Jason Reitman: Fair enough, I'll give it to you. I actually know what it is. And I know people are gonna totally take my father's side on this: more slime, less slime.
Ivan Reitman: I wanted more slime. I think slime was an important iconographic idea to the movie, and I thought Jason had a more delicate approach to it than I would have.
I saw this quote comparing it to making an old family recipe, which I thought was really beautiful. Jason, is there a moment where having your dad on set was like, "I'm so grateful because this wouldn't have happened?"
Jason Reitman: Oh, that happened every single day on set. Whether we are looking at slime and trying to identify what's the exact right color, or looking at the terror dog and is it moving exactly right.
Or a note that my father would give - and he was 100% right - is the importance of wind. Wind on set is the presence of a ghost. It's how you know; it's your hair flowing and the trees flowing. It's dust flowing by. We had a truck that was only fans. We had everything from a leaf blower to a 6-foot Ritter, and that was all because of my dad.
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.
This is kind of paving the way for a new generation. Do you have sequel ideas in mind? Is there more to the story that you're already thinking about?
Jason Reitman: Every culture has its relationship with ghosts, and we want to see all of those movies. We want to see all of our favorite directors make Ghostbusters movies, and we're hoping that Ghostbusters: Afterlife sets the table for a broad future for the Ghostbusters mythology.
