Ghostbusters: AfterlifeWas Made in a Surprisingly Unique Way

That Jason Reitman , the conscientious objector - writer and theater director ofGhostbusters : Afterlife , is the son of Ivan Reitman , who manoeuver the first two Ghostbusters , might seem like a clearly - cut case of nepotism . But in reality , that relationship made the younger Reitman ’s decision to make a newfangled Ghostbusters film even more complicated . If someone else have intercourse up a franchise , odds are they do n’t have to see its Almighty during the holidays .

For exemplar , George Lucas is n’t J.J. Abrams ’ pop . So Reitman essentially avoided any thought about making a Ghostbusters film for as long as potential , both because he was interested in other things and to avoid that whole potentially tainting your fellowship ’s skilful name thing . “ I obviously set out on a career to make independent films and my filmmaking career began at festival , ” Reitman , who antecedently directed Juno , give thanks You For smoke , and Up in the Air , tell io9 . “ And I reckon the intimidation factor of rent on my forefather ’s most successful film for sure was a vault that I never thought I would attempt to leap . ”

Reitman Colorado - wrote Afterlife with Gil Kenan , a recollective - prison term booster , collaborator , and fellow filmmakerwho explained to io9 that Reitman ’s leap came about not out of necessary , but out of a aspiration . “ He brought this idea to me very casually as just sort of conversation , ” Kenan told io9 . “ He said , ‘ You hump , I ’ve been asked this question [ if he ’d make a Ghostbusters movie ] for most of my filmmaking life . I have n’t really ever want to tell the story . I have n’t felt like I was in a spot where I was quick to recount the story , ’ but there were a match of dreamlike persona that come to him sort of like a key fruit . They feel like they were ready and poised to unlock something . ”

Jason Reitman directing Mckenna Grace on the set of Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Jason Reitman directing Mckenna Grace on the set of Ghostbusters: Afterlife.Image: Sony Pictures

Those picture involved a young young woman , a proton pack , and a corn field . Quickly , Reitman realized he was seeing the granddaughter of Egon Spengler , play by the previous Harold Ramis . But who was she ? Where was this field ? It was up to him and Kenan to calculate it out . Thankfully though , because the idea for Afterlife bechance so organically , no one even really knew it was happening — not the executive at Sony , which owned the rights , not Ivan Reitman or Dan Aykroyd , the keeper of the Ghostbusters legacy , and certainly not any fan . It should be notice thatmany of those fans were still upsetover what some consider a mishandling of the franchise by 2016’sGhostbusters : do the Calldirected by Paul Feig . ( Reitman , for what it ’s worth , credits Feig ’s film for showing everyone Ghostbusters could be something new and different . )

To get to write and create a blockbuster dealership sequel of this order of magnitude without any outside force or input was truly unique and the pair took full reward . “ We were n’t in any spate , ” Kenan say . “ We sort of took a few week and months to kind of buildup something that feel really solid then we sort of casually took that to Ivan . The two of us pitched it and then we just went off and write it and we were n’t really under [ any press ] . We did n’t have like , a gun to our head , we just sort of wrote . And it never mat like study , it feel like a pure storytelling practice . It really was that . We were n’t receive studio apartment notes . There was no interruption to the process . We were just countenance to establish up a tarradiddle that we felt was a way to connect with who we were in 1984 , when the film played for us and how to make that feeling [ riposte ] . ”

Obviously , that feeling was different for the two men . Reitman was literally on the hardening of the first Ghostbusters and even appears in the 2d one ; Kenen merely check them in the field . But together , the married person recognise the key was to enamor everything about the franchise that spoke to them . “ This is a movie about what is it like to become a Ghostbuster and in that way , it ’s about nostalgia inside and out , ” Reitman say . “ It ’s about the rest of us . It ’s about the group that grew up thinking about Ghostbusters and wondering what it was like to drive Ecto-1 and marvel what it was like to put on a proton pack . It is about the children of [ Ghostbusters fans ] . And sure , I was go through a very personal story of my fearfulness of picking up the proton pack and emulate that through the main characters . ”

Reitman on a set that’s too spoilery to explain.

Reitman on a set that’s too spoilery to explain.Image: Sony Pictures

Whilemany attempts have been madeto resurrect Ghostbusters over the age , with scripts that approached the history in various ways leading to the 2016 reboot , Reitman and Kenan believed they were tap into something dissimilar : a equalizer of newfangled and nostalgia they believe will make audiences glad .

“ The nostalgia really serves us for two reason , ” Reitman explained . “ I mean , one , I obtain it improbably joyful . I call up that with any of the movies that anyone develop up on , you desire to see theDeLorean hit 88 again . You desire to see thelightsaber power on againand you require to see Ecto-1 again . You want to hear the siren , you desire to see the proton coterie fire , you desire to see the PKE meter light up . And we really desire to make a motion-picture show that was at the same time an original journey , but also had all these kind of golf links with the yesteryear because that ’s what the movie ’s about . It ’s about three generations of a family reconciling itself . And that ’s just what nostalgia is . ”

Once everyone got on board with Afterlife , Reitman found himself on set with his forefather by his side almost the entire time . “ It was never like any other motion-picture show that I ’ve directed , and I do n’t think it ’s like any other experience any other director has ever had , ” he said . “ I was posture next to my sire almost every single day . ” Which , Reitman acknowledge , has almost a situation comedy - pitch vibration . The estimation of your dad at your job looking over your shoulder every day is just silly . And yet , while that collaboration may seem to an outsider like both Reitmans ensuring their family bequest , Jason does n’t see it that manner .

The Ecto-1 and a remote ghost trap.

The Ecto-1 and a remote ghost trap.Image: Sony Pictures

“ I ’m carrying this moving-picture show , momentarily , that does n’t go to me , ” he say , “ And in many room , does n’t even belong to [ Ivan ] any longer . And that ’s kind of a fascinating experience . Normally , when you make a film , for a brief period of time , it belong to you and then you pass it over and it belongs to the audience . Here is a case where this film never belonged to me . I merely picked up the nightstick for a moment , and I wanted to make him gallant . I wanted to make Ghostbusters sports fan proud , I wanted to make a film that was for everybody . And that ’s a very daunting task . ”

Read more about thatdaunting undertaking at this connection . Ghostbusters : hereafter open only in theaters on November 19 .

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The crew of Afterlife with the Ecto-1.