I’ve been wondering why Columbia Pictures has yet to get Ghostbusters III off the ground. While Bill Murray has always had fingers pointed in his direction, there has always been something about Ivan Reitman being attached to direct that made me raise an eyebrow. I know he’s the man behind the first, but his recent years haven’t treated him so well (Evolution, My Super Ex-Girlfriend), so it comes as no surprise that Columbia Pictures wants his off the sequel. Read on for the skinny and then have your say.
“The studio’s strategy is to revitalize the franchise for next year by having the original ‘busters train a dramatically younger crew in Ghostbusters III, while a correspondingly younger director handles things behind the camera,” writes Vulture. “However, Reitman’s old contract — made at the height of his and Ovitz’s powers — still gives him exceptional creative control over the series, including director approval.”
Even more interesting, some of the stars can kill the project with a raise of their hand.
“In fact, a source tells us that Reitman and all three original principals (Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis … sorry, Ernie Hudson!) have a deal that says that if any of the four of them don’t like any element of a new Ghostbusters, they can singlehandedly veto and kill the project; it has to be unanimously approved before going forward.”
This is a huge franchise for Columbia Pictures and a success could reinvigorate the series. Would they purposely can it just because they couldn’t hire a newer, younger director? What do you guys think of the situation?
