Jason Reitman’s father, Ivan Reitman; directed the 1984 Ghostbusters and 1989’s Ghostbusters II. He’s a hands-on producer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, directed by his son Jason Reitman. According to the duo, Afterlife is:
“[Is a] movie about a family, that’s being made by a family.”
Jason added:
“The Ghostbusters ’84 set is the first set I can remember. As a kid, it was just simply magical. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a movie about a family, that’s being made by a family. And it is much about the passing of the torch, metaphorically, and the passing of a proton pack.”
Ivan then added:
“It was very emotional seeing that story living again after so many years, through my son.”
Of course, you would imagine that if your father directed one of the most iconic movie franchises of all time, you would be a fan. Which, Jason says that he was when he was growing up:
“I grew up as a fan. I had a flight suit, I had the t-shirt, I had the hat. Now, at this age, I find myself trying to understand who my father is, and who he was when he made this film. I am now the age that my father was when he made the first Ghostbusters movie, and I’m trying to understand him in the same way that Phoebe and Callie are trying to understand where they came from.”
It was clear how much Jason enjoyed having his father around, as he recalls:
“There was a moment when we were shooting with three cameras, a scene with five or six actors. And I found myself on set sitting next to one of the cameras, watching one actor in particular who I wanted a performance from. And after the take was done, I ran back to the monitor to review the other cameras, and my father looked at me, and he said: ‘We got it.’ We nodded and moved on. It’s not an experience that could have ever happened, or probably will ever happen, on any other movie.”
Jason added:
“It was the great bonding experience of my life,” Jason adds, “with the director I admire most: my father.”
Ghostbusters: Afterlife stars Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Logan Kim, Celeste O’Connor, Billy Murray, and Dan Aykroyd. For a deeper inside into the interview with the Reitmans, check out Comicbook.com‘s special look.
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