Columbia Pictures Doesn't Want Ivan Reitman to Direct GHOSTBUSTERS 3!?
As you know, Ghostbusters 3 is trying to gear up for production. It's been a long and bumpy road which continues to get even bumpier. Bill Murray recently called Ghostbusters 3 a nightmare and it looks like the nightmare is getting worse. For some reason Columbia Pictures doesn't want Ivan Reitman to direct the third film in the Ghostbusters franchise! Have they gone mad!? If you don't already know, Reitman directed the first two classic Ghostbusters films, and it's only logical that they bring him back to direct the third film. I understand he's made some bad films in his day, but Ghostbusters isn't one of them. As a huge Ghostbusters fan I think Rietman is the right guy for the job!
In revitalizing the the franchise the studio wants to bring in a young fresh director to take over the reigns. Personally, I think that's a stupid ass idea. The main reason I'm excited for the new film is because all of the key players that made the original the classic that it is are getting back together to continue the story. Bringing anyone else in would be a terrible decision. But don't worry! Contracts are in place, and there are people that have the power to pull the plug if they don't like the direction the film is headed.
Reitman's old contract from the 80's still gives him exceptional creative control over the series, including director approval. One studio insider says, "Those deals were made in the eighties. So his rights in this circumstance have a great deal of teeth." What this means is that Reitman can’t force Columbia to make Ghostbusters III with him, but he can make it nearly impossible for the studio to make the film without him. Pow!
On top of that, Vulture reports that Reitman and all three original stars in the film Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis have a deal in place that says that if any of the four of them don’t like any element of the new Ghostbusters, they can singlehandedly veto and kill the project; it has to be unanimously approved before going forward. Boom!
I'm not liking where the Studio is going with this though. They want to reboot the franchise like they are doing with Spider-Man. They want to bring in a group of twentysomething 'busters to take over the franchise. We've known that from the start, but from what it sounds like they want to take the movie past a third sequel possibly making 2 or 3 more films. As much as a fan as I am, I don't want that. I want one more Ghostbusters film to see where my favorite characters are at in life, and then end it for good. The Office writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky are currently working on a second draft of the script which is supposed to be turned in this May.
Sony can't move on with their dastardly Ghostbusters plans unless Reitman bails, which I hope doesn't happen. I'm going to be very selfish and say I would much rather them not make the movie if they plan on turning the franchise into a piece of ghost turd.
What are your thoughts on the matter?