The director, son of Ivan Reitman, creator of the Ghostbusters, takes control of ‘Ghostbusters: Beyond’, the latest installment of the fantasy franchise
That Jason Reitman (Montreal, 1977), the writer and director of ‘Ghostbusters: Beyond’, is the son of Ivan Reitman, who directed the first two films in the series, may seem like a clear case of nepotism. Their personal relationship made the young Reitman’s decision to write and direct a new Ghostbusters installment even more complicated, because he didn’t want to be the one to ruin the franchise by tainting the good name of his family. While many attempts have been made to resurrect the Ghostbusters saga over the years, with scripts that approached the story from different points of view, none ended up attracting the general public in theaters. Reitman dares to reinvent the saga starting with the latest film directed by his father, explaining what it means to become a Ghostbusters. The filmmaker seeks a different balance: a bet on new talents while maintaining the nostalgia for the classics.
-You never wanted to direct a great commercial film. What led you to get behind the cameras of this one?
-Obviously I set out to make a career shooting independent films, in fact, my film career began at festivals. But I think you have to take risks and I have dared to face the intimidation of directing my father’s most successful film. This is a wall of hundreds of meters that I never thought I would try to overcome. It was not the need that led me to direct ‘Ghostbusters: Beyond’, but to fulfill a dream.
-What are the main elements of the script for your Ghostbusters?
-I wanted to capture the essence of the classics, keep the elements that we all know. This is a movie about what it’s like to become a Ghostbusters and in that way I’ve tried to revive the characters from within. All of us have grown up dreaming of being a Ghostbuster, wondering what it would be like to drive the Ecto-1 or carry a pack of protons. This is a film dedicated to the children of the Ghostbusters fans. On a personal level, this is an intimate story where I bring out all my fears.
-Why did you choose to make a nostalgic film?
-Nostalgia serves us for two reasons: on the one hand it is a joy. When you grow up with a movie, you dream about it. You want to see the lightsaber turned on again, and you want to see the Ecto-1 again. You want to hear the siren, you want to see the proton pack fire, you want the PKE meter to light up. We wanted to make a movie that was a trip to the original. Second, the film maintains ties to the past because that is what the story is about. There are three generations of a family that is reconciled. And that’s exactly nostalgia.
-What did you feel in the first screening of the film?
-It was a huge emotion. With the pandemic, we were forced to delay the premiere and I have been holding on to the day of the presentation like a burning nail. Seeing my father cry at the first screening was very exciting. I can’t even explain it, because it was overwhelming.
Image of ‘Ghostbusters: Beyond’.
-This film seems like a catharsis.
-It is. I hope that the fans of the saga like the film, that it moves them and that they enjoy it. My father was the first to read the script and it was a very important moment for me. I wasn’t going to make this movie unless he agreed with her.
– Are you scared by the expectations created around you?
-Much. I understand that the fans protect these movies because they mean a lot to them, but imagine for me or my father. I don’t want to disappoint anyone, but this is a film made by fans of the saga and I’m not just talking about myself, I’m talking about the cast, the team, the specialists, the creators of creatures … Everyone who worked on Ghostbusters They dreamed of watching these movies when they were kids.
-The family is the nucleus of the great stories of cinema and literature.
-No matter how long humans have been around, we keep trying to figure out how to relate to each other. We do not know how to speak without hurting and each generation leaves an equation to be solved. I really wanted to tell the story of a single mother and her two children trying to understand who they were. My story is the story of the son of the author of Ghostbusters. And I don’t think it’s weird for me to write a Ghostbusters movie where the girl learns she’s the granddaughter of a Ghostbusters.
Image of ‘Ghostbusters: Beyond’.
-How is your relationship with your father?
-Since I had the courage to tell him that I was going to be a director, I have been sharing my work with him. He read my first short film scripts and made an early decision to approach me as a professional screenwriter. Facing his criticism is challenging, but listening to him has made me a better writer. He and I talk almost every day, particularly about movies because our relationship is through the movies. And the scariest thing I’ve ever done is take my dad’s franchise and try to make a movie inside of it. It has been an honor to have him sitting next to me throughout the process. God knows I wanted to make him proud. Seeing him cry next to me during the presentation made me feel like a good son.
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