Ivan Reitman Was Producing Two More Ghostbusters Projects At The Time Of His Death
"Ghostbusters" director and Hollywood legend Ivan Reitman has died at the age of 75, and he leaves behind an incredible legacy. The director's family confirmed to the Associated Press that he died in his sleep at his California home. Tributes to Reitman have flooded social media since the news arrived online, with Sony CEO Tom Rothman posting to Twitter, "Tonight, the lady with the torch weeps, as do all of us at Columbia, and film lovers around the world."
He also added, "Ivan Reitman was an inseparable part of this studio's legacy, but more than that he was a friend." Rothman ended his tribute by calling Reitman "a great talent and an even finer man; he will be dearly missed. We send his family all our condolences."
While Reitman is best known for "Ghostbusters" and "Ghostbusters II," he also turned Arnold Schwarzenegger into a comedy star with the likes of "Twins," "Kindergarden Cop," and "Junior." Reitman had a lasting impact on the industry, and he still had other projects in the pipeline at the time of his death, including a "Twins" sequel with Schwarzenegger entitled "Triplets."
But fans will be interested to know that the director was also producing two more "Ghostbusters" projects to follow 2021's "Ghostbusters: Afterlife."
Ivan Reitman was working on two animated Ghostbusters projects
"Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is very much a story about family and legacy, which is why it's only right that Ivan Reitman's son, Jason Reitman, sat in the director's chair for the highly anticipated sequel. His father even cameos in the film — standing in for the late Harold Ramis as an old Egon Spengler, pre-visual effects of course. But according to the director's IMDb page, he was also working on an TV series — called "Ghostbusters: Ecto Force" — as well as an untitled animated project.
"Ecto Force" isn't exactly a new project, because it's been in the works at Sony since 2016. It's not clear whether the project has been canceled or delayed, but the studio has clearly had some difficulty in getting it to the screen. The Ghostbusters News fan site revealed a number of potential logos for the series back in 2018, but there hasn't been any concrete news about the animated show since then. It's possible the show could tie into the "Afterlife" post-credits scene, in which Winston Zeddemore (Ernie hudson) teases his plans to form a new version of the ghost-busting team.
There's a little more news available on the untitled project, which is written by original "Ghostbusters" star and co-writer Dan Akroyd (via IMDb). It will also be directed by Fletcher Moules. Moules has experience working on the crew for films like "The Matrix" and "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones," so it'll be interesting to see what he brings to the table.
Even thought Reitman won't be around to help shepherd these projects to completion, their eventual release will ensure the continuation of his legacy.