Jason Reitman Says Paul Feig’s ‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot “Broke The Doors Open” For A New Sequel

When Paul Feig’s 2016 “Ghostbusters” reboot was released, fans were not pleased. Rarely have you seen such disdain and outrage over the mere existence of a movie, no matter if it was good or not. The film ultimately wasn’t a massive box office or critical success and the “Ghostbusters” franchise went back to the drawing board. But according to a new interview with Jason Reitman, Feig’s 2016 film paved the way for the new sequel, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.”

Speaking to Insider, Reitman talked about how he credits Paul Feig for breaking the doors open for the idea of continuing the “Ghostbusters” franchise without relying on the original actors. And while Reitman isn’t continuing Feig’s story in ‘Afterlife,’ it did allow him to start fresh with a new idea and cast.

READ MORE: ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Early Reviews Are Mixed: Nostalgia-Filled Mess Or Emotional, Honorable Tribute?

“When Paul made his movie, he kind of broke the doors open,” Reitman said. “Suddenly a ‘Ghostbusters’ film did not have to be about those four original guys in Manhattan. That was a big moment.”

He added, “I want to see all kinds of ‘Ghostbusters’ movies. I want to see ‘Ghostbusters’ movies from all my favorite filmmakers, coming from all kinds of different cultures and different countries. Paul really did the hard work so that I could make this movie.”

Of course, we’d be remiss without saying that most of the original “Ghostbusters” cast from the 1984 feature do show up in ‘Afterlife,’ though their parts aren’t necessarily huge. And judging by early reviews, it would appear Reitman is not afraid to tap into fans’ nostalgia for the early films in the franchise, either. 

On the subject of nostalgia, the interview also revealed that, years before tackling “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” Jason Reitman was already involved in feature films based on a beloved franchise. He revealed that Michael Bay invited him to work on two “Transformers” films, and apparently, Reitman contributed by doing rewrites on the scripts for ‘Dark of the Moon’ and ‘Age of Extinction.’

“It’s very easy to look at a director and their work and think this is the sum total of that human being,” Reitman said. “The truth is I love horror films. I love big box office movies. To play in that ‘Transformers’ world was like, I used to play with Transformers now I get to play in ‘Transformers.'”

It would appear that Reitman is making it abundantly clear that it’s not completely crazy to see him direct a franchise film such as “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” after previous films like “Tully” and “Juno.” So, who knows? Maybe there’s going to be even more franchise fodder in his future?

“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” arrives in theaters on November 19.