Ghostbusters: Afterlife is continuing Hollywood’s trend towards nostalgia and legacy sequels, and its creation has led to an extraordinary moment between director Jason Reitman and his father, Ivan. The current craze in Hollywood is to look back, to reboot some of the world’s most beloved stories by including elements from the originals, such as actors and storylines. Movies that are follow-ups to classic films to introduce a younger generation to the story, are known as legacy sequels. They are all the rage with Star Wars‘ like: The Force Awakens, Terminator Dark Fate, 2018’s Halloween reboot, and now Ghostbusters: Afterlife all being released in the last couple of years.
However, the final entry on that list is a great legacy sequel in more ways than one. The first is in the manner described above as it will feature a classic all-star cast including the likes of Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Dan Aykroyd. The second is more sentimental because Ivan Reitman has been involved with Ghostbusters, first as a director of the original two films and now as a producer for the modern interpretations.
So it stands to reason that Jason would invite Ivan for a special viewing of Ghostbusters: Afterlife once it had been completed for personal and professional reasons. However, what was more of a surprise was Ivan’s reaction to his son’s creation. According to Jason, his dear old dad shed a tear of pride in what might be one of the most touching and wholesome Hollywood moments in recent times.
Ivan Reitman cried after watching Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Credit: Sony Pictures
Read more: Ghostbusters: Afterlife’s First Trailer Is Here And It Looks Pretty Spooky
“My father hasn’t been leaving the house much because of Covid. But he took a test, put on a mask, and drove down to the Sony lot to watch the movie with the studio. And after, he cried, and he said, ‘I’m so proud to be your father.’ And it was one of the great moments of my life,” Jason Reitman told Empire in an interview. While touching, it is also excellent news for fans of the Ghostbusters franchise after the 2016 reboot was not well-liked by audiences worldwide and there are many.
Ghostbusters has had an immense impact on pop-culture over the years, thanks to its popularity. There have been video games, such as Ghostbusters World, books, like Ghosts from our Past, an official Pinball Machine and board game with the same title. There is even a slot game titled Ghostbusters Plus that can be played on online casinos such as 888 Casino and The SunVegas. For example, 888 Casino has a wide game selection that offers players the opportunity to try unique movie-based titles.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife will pay homage to the original films
Credit: Sony Pictures
Read more: Creed 2 Now Has A Director And It’s Not Sylvester Stallone
Jason Reitman stated he has done his utmost to pay homage to the originals and that extends to the look and feel of the film and the narrative, which is probably why his dad likes it so much. While Ghostbusters is most commonly remembered as a comedy thriller, it was a scary movie, and that is something Reitman has tried to recreate.
“The feeling that I’ve kind of held onto is that while it is very funny, it really scared me. It was my first experience with a horror film,” he told Empire. “I was at a Directors Guild meeting and I happened to be sitting next to Steven Spielberg – when I told him I was working on Ghostbusters, he out of nowhere said, ‘Library Ghost – top ten scares of all time.’ And it’s true.”
Nostalgia isn’t always a great thing. Sometimes things deserve to be left untarnished in our memories, but Ghostbusters: Afterlife is shaping up to be the sequel fans of the franchise have been begging for, for a long, long time.
What do you make of this news? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
What do you make of this story? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages! And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out our podcasts, Small Screen Stories and Small Screen Film Club wherever you get your podcasts!
There are no comments
Add yours