Jason Reitman takes on the Family Franchise

It was a stunning sight. Jason Reitman was surrounded with dozens upon dozens screenwriters, storyboards, artwork, and other characters from the franchise he has known since childhood.

We are not talking about that. “Ghostbusters.”

Reitman made the decision years before to follow his father’s lead and become a direct agent. “Ghostbusters” movie, he was invited by Michael Bay to work on another blockbuster franchise — “Transformers.”

Reitman smiled big as he reminisced via

Zoom

During his brief stint in the Transformers universe he eventually worked on scripts (specifically, punching up the dialogue). “Dark of the Moon”And “Age of Extinction.”He made it clear at the end that filmmakers can do more than what they are best known for.

“It’s very easy to look at a director and their work and think this is the sum total of that human being,”He spoke to Insider in September. “The truth is I love horror films. I love big box office movies. To play in that ‘Transformers’ world was like, I used to play with Transformers now I get to play in ‘Transformers.'”

Reitman has taken that thought one step further with his new movie. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,”November 19th in theatres, the latest sequel to the franchise that his father Ivan Reitman started. 1984 “Ghostbusters” became a runaway hit and made the foursome — Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson — battling evil spirits around New York City household names.

Reitman is an Oscar-nominated dramatist who has built a successful career. “Juno”And “Up in the Air,”He is acutely aware of his connection with the movie, which haunts him almost as a ghost.

“I don’t go a day in my life without seeing someone wearing a ‘Ghostbusters’ T-shirt,”He pointed out.

For most of his life, the 44-year-old director has chosen to ignore his father’s movie-making legacy — vowing never to make a “Ghostbusters” movie. All that has changed is now.

Reitman wrote ‘Ghostbusters: Aftermath” in secret. Executives were only allowed to read it one at time in a secure room.

Reitman’s transformation began with the image of a young girl walking through a cornfield wearing a proton pack.

“A decade ago, I had this vision of a girl shooting a proton pack in a cornfield and suddenly popcorn flying up and her catching and eating it,”Reitman spoke with a distant look in his eyes as he sipped his morning coffee in his home office. His backyard window overlooked his desk let the sun in.

“It was just one of those images where I was like, ‘Well, I don’t know what to do with that,'”He went on.

Reitman is not averse to these ideas. His movies have been grounded on reality, at least up to this point. He’s preferred the independently-financed dramas that explore the human condition and usually feature women going through challenging times in their lives like a teenaged pregnancy (“Juno”) or a mid-life crisis (“Tully”).

When asked if he will ever make a movie, he has always answered the same question. “Ghostbusters” movie: “No.”

“I would make the most boring ‘Ghostbusters’ movie,'”He Howard Stern in 2008, I told him.. “It would just be people talking about ghosts. There wouldn’t be any ghost-busting in it.”

The idea of a little girl with a proton-pack in her hand was unique. It didn’t go away.

“I suddenly knew who the girl was when Harold died”In 2014, he stated, referring to Harold Ramis who co-wrote and edited the original “Ghostbusters”Screenplay by Dan Aykroyd, who also played Ghostbuster Egon Spengler in the movie.

He started to develop the idea into a story, and it eventually reached a point that he couldn’t keep it all to himself. He had to tell someone — his father.

“He said, ‘I’ve been thinking about this idea,'”Insider spoke with Ivan Reitman about his first conversation with his son about the possibility of doing a book. “Ghostbusters” movie. “I just stayed really quiet. I was excited, but surprised as well.”

The script was then written by Reitman and Gil Kenan, a screenwriter. The two of them were pitching it to Sony Ghost Corps, a production company created to manage the film. “Ghostbusters” franchise.

Reitman’s father was in tears at the end of the pitch meeting. The project was then greenlit and Reitman promised that he could continue working on the project secretly.

“I think only three people at Sony knew of its existence,”Reitman spoke of the script. “Each executive had to come by themselves to Ghost Corps and read the script in a room and then leave.”

“I really didn’t want it out there that we were writing this movie,”He went on. “Particularly after years of me saying I didn’t want to make a ‘Ghostbusters’ movie.”

Reitman used his personal issues with his father as a way to flesh out the family dynamic of the movie

Reitman’s fondest childhood memories was of going to the set at “Ghostbusters”Back in 1983. His father was his director. He sat side-by-side. For the young Reitman, it was an eye-opening experience. He got a glimpse behind his father’s curtain about how all those movies he had seen with him were made.

Reitman even got to appear in his father’s movies as a bit actor. “Twins” (1988), “Ghostbusters II”(1989), “Kindergarten Cop” (1990).

Reitman grew up and began to distance his self from Hollywood. Skidmore College taught him how to become a therapist. He switched to creative writing at the University of Southern California after that failed. He started making movies, but not like his father.

“He went on quite a different career path than I did,”Ivan, who also directed 1989 “Ghostbusters” sequel, said. “I sort of had a very commercial bent and wanted to entertain in my own way, and I was comfortable in the studio system. He was working independently and was doing it very effectively.”

He clearly carved his own career path, even winning best director nominations for both. “Juno”And “Up in the Air,”Reitman stated that his father would still question him from time to time if he would ever make an offer. “Ghostbusters” movie.

“I never thought he was going to do it,”His dad also admitted.

Reitman couldn’t shake his hand. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” story. It is far from the “Ghostbusters”New York City firehouse “Afterlife”Story follows Carrie Coon, a single mother, and her two children Finn Wolfhard and McKenna Grace Wolfhard as they move into their grandfather’s Oklahoma home.

They realize their grandfather was one the original Ghostbusters and they must continue to protect the world from the evil supernatural forces that are poised to take over.

Although the movie has its moments and many homages to the original film (including Elmer Bernstein’s memorable score from 1984), the movie is still very moving due to its Spielbergian perspective on a group of young friends coming together to save their country. You won’t be surprised to see a few tears at the end.

Reitman says that this feeling comes from being a part of the characters.

“It became a metaphor for my own fears about picking up the proton pack myself,”Reitman spoke of making the film.

Reitman did more. He put a lot his abandonment issues (from having a father who was a highly-paid Hollywood director for most his childhood) into Callie. Callie was a single mother who believes her father never gave her much love and attention as he was too involved in ghostbusting.

“Look, being the son of a director is complicated,”Reitman stated. “Being the son of someone who is obsessed with their work; I think about that with my relationship with my father.”

However, Ivan said that he did not see any real-life correlation when questioned.

“I’m too arrogant and too close up to my own sort of world, I think,”He stated. “Though I understand that.”

While writing the movie, Reitman said he also thought a lot about how his daughter Josie grew up the same way he did — with a father busy making movies. Josie is also a result of divorce. Michele Lee, Reitman, and Josie split in 2014.

“Every filmmaker is doing autobiographical work no matter what they are doing,”He concluded. “I made this movie for my dad. I made this movie for my daughter. I think it mirrors the ways that we want to be connected to each other.”

Reitman claims Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters opened the door to his movie. ‘Paul really did all the hard work.

Reitman didn’t think he would be able to get close to a woman. “Ghostbusters”He said that it was his most personal work, but he enjoyed the movie.

Reitman and his father, who was a producer, also contributed to the film’s inspirations. “Afterlife.”Reitman was just 40 years old when he joined the father’s set. “Ghostbusters” movie, he was now directing his own with his proud father looking on — and making the occasional note at times. Perhaps more than one.

“Sometimes it got complicated, as you can imagine with your father coming to work with you every day and weighing in on all your decisions,”Reitman stated. “It tries on your patience, but at the same time we got to have a father-son experience unlike anything.”

“Most fathers and sons feel lucky they went camping together,”Reitman was also added. “We got to make a movie together.”

“Afterlife”Reitman stated that this movie wouldn’t have been possible without the franchise movies his father made with the 2016 Paul Feig-directed, all-female film “Ghostbusters” movie.

Feig’s film did not do well at the box-office and was subject to the fury of internet trolls. Reitman said that it allowed him to tell his story, and he hopes for more. “Ghostbuster”Movies in the future

“When Paul made his movie, he kind of broke the doors open,”Reitman stated. “Suddenly a ‘Ghostbusters’ film did not have to be about those four original guys in Manhattan. That was a big moment.”

“I want to see all kinds of ‘Ghostbusters’ movies,”He went on. “I want to see ‘Ghostbusters’ movies from all my favorite filmmakers, coming from all kinds of different cultures and different countries. Paul really did the hard work so that I could make this movie.”

It’s a movie that has already generated a lot of buzz. Reitman’s father and Reitman were both present at the surprise screenings at New York ComicCon this year. Both audiences were totally enthralled.

Reitman was unable to hold back tears as he thought back about the CinemaCon screening he attended in Las Vegas with father August.

“We walked backstage after the screening and it was really dark, they were using flashlights to guide us, and my dad stopped everyone and he pulled me into a hug and he was very emotional and he said, ‘I’m just so proud to be your father,'”Reitman said this as his eyes started to well up.

For a director who has never wanted to be a Hollywood director, it’s a Hollywood end. “Ghostbusters”His life was the most memorable movie. He was able to helm a franchise that he has loved since the time he was able to walk. But was it more fear?

He took a long pause before answering the question. This was a question he had been trying to answer for many years.

“I always felt this was the dragon that was waiting for me, and that the longer I didn’t make it, the more I was simply ignoring what was at the gate,”He finally spoke.

“I always felt the proton pack would be too heavy, but it turns out once you put it on it feels kind of light.”