Director Ivan Reitman Backs Out of 'Ghostbusters 3'
Ivan Reitman made his name directing the first two Ghostbusters movies. But after the passing of co-creator, writer, and star Harold Ramis, Reitman no longer wants the job of directing a third.
In an interview with Deadline, Reitman confirms that he has decided to pass on directing the film following the death of his good friend. "When I came back from Harold's funeral, it was really moving and it made me think about a lot of things," the director says. "I just finally met with Amy [Pascal] and Doug Belgrad [from Sony Pictures] when I got back. I said I'd been thinking about it for weeks, that I'd rather just produce this Ghostbusters. I told them I thought I could help but let's find a really good director and make it with him."
Reitman also recalled happier times with the cast of the original Ghostbusters films, including Ramis. "It was such an amazing time in my life 30 years ago, and I felt that way on the second film," he said. "With Harold no longer with us I couldn't see it."
Credit: Columbia Pictures
Reitman, however, will remain on board to help find a new director and to produce the sequel. Sony is reportedly "eager to make this film," which Reitman claims should begin shooting in 2015. The team behind the long-anticipated sequel has settled on a script by Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder). Of course, with Reitman backing out, the film no longer has a director. Now the search begins for a qualified comedy director who will bring reverence to the franchise, and hopefully, do justice to the memory of Ramis. For some reason, I find myself secretly hoping someone like Jon Favreau, Kevin Smith, or even (hey!) Bill Murray gets the gig. Either way, I just hope it's someone who loves the material as much as its fans.