It seems like every Halloween you can spot at least one quartet friends dressed as the iconic squad of ghost hunters from Ivan Reitman’s 1984 film, Ghostbusters. The franchise has seen changes over the years and, now, Reitman’s own son, Jason, has created a true threequel of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. And as the film approaches, the younger Reitman is taking some time to thank Paul Feig and his 2016 reboot for the "big" way that it impacted his upcoming flick.
Paul Feig is a majorly successful writer, director, and producer who is known for his female-driven films. He’s worked with Melissa McCarthy a number of times, and his version of Ghostbusters was no different. He flipped the script by casting four female leads in the classically male roles. Ultimately, his take on the paranormal experts wasn’t nearly as successful as some of his other projects, like Bridesmaids and Zooey’s Extraordinary Playlist and received a fair amount of backlash.
Nevertheless, Jason Reitman gave credit to the filmmaker for changing things up, during a recent interview with Insider. Reitman believes that his colleague was able to shift the pubic perception of what a Ghostbusters film could look like. Here it is in his own words:
When Paul made his movie, he kind of broke the doors open. Suddenly a 'Ghostbusters' film did not have to be about those four original guys in Manhattan. That was a big moment.
If anything, Paul Feig does deserve credit for attempting a fresh approach to the storied franchise. In the same interview, the Juno filmmaker seems to expel some major hopes and dreams for the franchise. And should his hopes come to pass, it could not only mean big things for the beloved IP but also some major strides for representation in massive blockbusters. Here's what he said exactly:
I want to see all kinds of 'Ghostbusters' movies. 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.
Instead of centering around a squad of professional ghost hunters saving the world, Afterlife tells the story of a single mom and her two kids discovering the legacy of the OG team of ghost chasers. This is very fitting, considering Jason Reitman is taking up his own father’s legacy with this film. The film will see Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson reprising their original roles as the first generation of proton pack-wearing heroes. And joining them will be Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts. All in all, this film should be filled with enough nostalgia to satisfy hardcore fans.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife will release to theaters in just a couple short weeks on November 19th.
