Ivan Reitman was surprised by his son Jason's interest in and pitch for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the latest installment in the beloved comedy franchise. In many ways, Ghostbusters: Afterlife represents a new era for the series. Acting as a direct sequel to the original movies from the 80s, the new film passes the baton on to the next generation of Ghostbusters while still holding ties to the one that came before. This is true both on screen and off, as Jason Reitman is taking over as director from his father, who helmed both original Ghostbusters movies.
Delayed from last year by the coronavirus pandemic, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is finally set to arrive in just two weeks. It will pick up with a single mom (Carrie Coon) and her two kids (Finn Wolfhard and McKenna Grace) as they move into the house left behind by their grandfather. That's a pretty normal circumstance, except for the fact that said grandfather was Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), a member of the original Ghostbusters. When strange occurrences begin to shake their new town, the kids must pull out Egon's old equipment to stop the ghosts from taking over.
On Thursday, both Ivan and Jason Reitman sat down with ITV's This Morning to promote Ghostbusters: Afterlife. When asked about his reaction to his son's pitch for the movie, Ivan admitted he was "kind of surprised" by it, since Jason had been focused on creating his own path as a director. Ivan explained:
I was kind of surprised, to be quite honest. Because he had been developing, as a spectacular director on his own - sort of set up his own career that was independent of mine, and really working in independent films and film festivals. And I was a little bit surprised that he would take on this kind of amazing task, but I feel very lucky that he did.
Ivan served as a producer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, so he got to work with his son on this one. While it was an emotional and rewarding experience for them both, Jason has admitted it could be difficult for him to work with his father because they're both so passionate about their own ideas. Nevertheless, the elder Reitman has been very supportive overall; Jason also said that Ivan cried upon watching Ghostbusters: Afterlife, just as he did while reading the script. It's safe to say that as awkward as working with a parent can be, this instance turned out great for both of them.
The themes of family will be strong in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, as will the nostalgic feelings. Save for Rick Moranis and the late Ramis, the entire original cast of Ghostbusters returns for this new movie, thus tying it back to the previous generation in yet another way. Fans are excited to see how they mix in with the new cast, which also includes Paul Rudd as the kids' teacher. Ghostbusters: Afterlife might have taken many people - including those who worked on it - by surprise, but hopefully it will also be just what everyone has been hoping for.
Source: This Morning/Twitter
