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Ghostbusters III loses Ivan Reitman, but gains Lego Movie directors?



The death of Harold Ramis, the Ghostbusters’ very own “Egon Spengler”, sent shockwaves throughout the geek world. While this tragedy was expected to affect the long-delayed “Ghostbusters III”, no one could have foreseen its impact on one of the series’ most stable and dependable mainstays.
 
Ivan Reitman, director of “Ghostbusters” and “Ghostbusters II”, will no longer be directing “Ghostbusters III”.
 
Stepping down
 
Reitman has been attached to the “Ghostbusters” franchise since the very beginning. He was one of the people avidly pushing for the sequel, and was already locked to helm the new film as director. Along with writer Dan Aykroyd, he was also actively pursuing Bill Murray to reprise his role as fan favorite Ghostbuster, “Peter Venkman”; Reitman and Aykroyd went so far as to discard script after script just to get the elusive actor to sign on.
 
It appears, however, that Reitman’s enthusiasm for the director's chair has waned following the death of Ramis, his colleague and friend, in February of this year.
 
Deadline recently spoke with Reitman about his decision to step down as the sequel’s director.
 
“A lot of things happened in the last few months, the most significant of which was the passing of Harold, who was a very good friend who was extraordinarily influential in my career,” Reitman said. “We did five movies together including both ‘Ghostbusters’.”
 
He remarked on his collaboration with Ramis on the first two films, and what the latter’s death meant to him and his involvement in the planned sequel. “It was such an amazing time in my life 30 years ago, and I felt that way on the second film. With Harold no longer with us I couldn’t see it,” he stated.
 
“When I came back from Harold’s funeral, it was really moving and it made me think about a lot of things,” he said. “I’d just finished directing ‘Draft Day’, which I’m really happy with and proud of. Working on a film that is smaller and more dramatic was so much fun and satisfying. I just finally met with Amy (Pascal of Sony Pictures) and Doug Belgrad 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. So that’s what we’ve agreed will happen.”
 
Amy Pascal commented on Reitman’s decision. “We totally understood. He was thinking he might feel that way when Harold died, and then came back to us and confirmed it, that while he was excited to return and make the movie as producer, but did not feel he wanted to direct the movie. We are delighted to work with Ivan on this movie in that capacity. We love him, and he’s going to continue to play an important role. We’re very anxious to get the movie started.”

The shapeshifting script
 
It appears Sony Pictures is aiming for a reboot of “Ghostbusters”, although it is not yet clear if the next installment will be a “hard reboot”, which entails starting the entire series universe from scratch, or a “soft reboot”, which will retain the previous universe but take the franchise in a fresh, new direction. Whatever the case, the team behind the sequel appears to have settled on a script.
 
Reitman expounded on the enduring campaign to get Murray onboard the new film, and how this was linked to the numerous changes in the script:
 

“The first (script) was done by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, and me, Harold and Dan helped them on it,” explained Reitman. “It was a really good script, but then it became clear that Bill really didn’t want to do another ‘Ghostbusters’ and that it was literally impossible to find him to speak to for the year or two we tried to get it going. When Bill finally… well, he never actually said no, but he never said yes, so there was no way to make that film. We decided to start over again, and I started working with Etan Cohen, with Dan lending a helping hand. Harold got sick about three years ago, and we kept hoping he would get better. I kept pushing forward on the Etan Cohen and we now have a draft that is very good, that the studio is very excited about.”

 
Etan Cohen penned “Men in Black III” and helped on “Tropic Thunder”. His "Ghostbusters" script will have the original characters in minor roles.
 
It is uncertain who will be playing the new, younger Ghostbusters team, but previous reports have mentioned that huge stars Emma Stone and Jonah Hill have already been offered major roles in the new film.
 
“I’m not going to say how many ‘Ghostbusters’ there will be in the new cast, but we are determined to retain the spirit of the original film, and I am pleased that all of this seems to have happened organically,” said Reitman.
 
Everything is awesome… with Ghostbusters III?
 
As for who will step in to fill Reitman’s shoes, Sony is already on the lookout for his replacement. This is where the directors of the incredibly successful “The Lego Movie” come in.
 
A report has emerged from a reliable source – none other than the original founder of Deadline, Nikki Finke – that Phil Lord and Chris Miller may direct the new “Ghostbusters” film.
 
“Hot duo to direct #Ghostbusters3? My sources say Phil Lord & Chris Miller (‘Lego Movie’, ‘21 Jump St’) in talks to replace Ivan Reitman,” Finke tweeted.
 

 
Lord and Miller also directed and wrote “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” which, like the two movies mentioned above, was extremely well-received by critics. All their previously-released films have gone on to become global box office hits, grossing over $200 million worldwide.

Fans have expressed their approval of the directing duo helming “Ghostbusters III”.
 
“Both 21 Jump Street and the Lego Movie were well done. The humor felt very natural which is something Ghostbusters needs. Looking forward to seeing the final product... hopefully with a ghost of Egon in it somewhere,” said Vegas82.
 
“Oh no! I didn’t want to care about this, I wanted it to just fade into obscurity, but Phil Lord and Chris Miller directing a Ghostbusters movie? Shoot, now I'm totally intrigued!” remarked Connor.
 
“Yeah this is a great move..these guys execute and seen to take advantage of every property that’s out into their hands,” said txtstar.
 
The Ghostbusters legacy
 
Despite “Ghostbusters III” being in development limbo for over two decades, “Ghostbusters” has proven one of the most popular movie franchises to date, spawning several animated TV shows, countless toys, comic books, and video games.
 
“It really seems to have resonated, and I think a lot of adults who saw it when they were younger have shown it to their kids and they seem to respond much the same way,” Reitman stated proudly.
 
“I’m hoping we can get started by the fall, set in New York, but given the logistics and the stuff that happens, the beginning of 2015 seems more likely.”
 
An early 2015 start could mean a summer 2016 theatrical release for “Ghostbusters III”. — TJD, GMA News
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