Ivan Reitman talks status of Ghostbusters 3, has met with Paul Feig

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Over the past several months there have been many rumors flying around about the status of GHOSTBUSTERS 3, ranging from supposed plot details and casting to possible directors, and now Ivan Reitman has spoken out about where the project stands, discussing the status of the long-awaited sequel/reboot, and reveals he has met with Paul Feig to discuss the director’s female-centric vision for the franchise.

Earlier this month we learned that BRIDESMAIDS and THE HEAT director Paul Feig was in talks to helm a 'female-centric' GHOSTBUSTERS film. Speaking with Collider, Reitman revealed that he has been talking with Feig and confirms that they have discussed taking the franchise in a new direction with a stronger female presence, sharing…

“On the drafts that I’ve been supervising, there’s always been a very important female presence. It’s nice to know that Paul is interested in the same thing. I met with him because I’ll be producing whatever the new Ghostbusters is.” 

Reitman goes on to share…

“The studio is very interested in it, and certainly Aykroyd and I, and the late Harold Ramis until he passed away. We’ll see. I don’t like talking about it because this thing has been in such flux for so long that people, particularly online, are annoyed about it, and that’s not anybody’s desire or hidden plan.”

As to that ongoing delay, Reitman suggests that the initial sticking point can be traced back to Bill Murray's reluctance to be involved, a rumor which we've covered in the past. Says Reitman…

“I think we were initially slowed down by Bill Murray’s reluctance to be involved. Not that that’s all that surprising. He’s somewhat reluctant about most things. I think that affected the timing of things, to a great extent.”

“We all wanted him back, at the centre of it, as well. But I think there’s still a great story in Ghostbusters and a great conceit about it that has held true, for all these years. And I think there’s a great movie to be made, with a new cast, as well.”

Reitman also shares the reason he won't be directing the next GHOSTBUSTERS film, opting to produce instead. Reitman explains what made him interested in seeing the franchise continue, stating…

Just a really good, cool idea that I think would work, that audiences would want to see, and that’s a little different than things before, but that I don’t necessarily have to do, as a director.  That’s finally what led me to back away from doing another Ghostbusters.  I had done two others, and it would have been without Bill or Harold.  I certainly would have done it with the original cast version.  That’s the script that I was working on.  But it was clear that I didn’t have half the cast anymore, so I thought, “Well, I’ll produce this next one and make sure that the spirit is true to the originals.  But, I’ll let somebody bring some fresh ideas to it.”  That’s what it’s going to need.

I'm interested in seeing what direction a new GHOSTBUSTERS film will head into. We'll keep you posted on news regarding the film as we hear it.