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Ghostbusters sequel: New film set in original universe to be directed by Jason Reitman

The filmmaker's father, Ivan, directed the original 1984 classic

Jacob Stolworthy
Wednesday 16 January 2019 08:15 GMT
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(Columbia Pictures)

Ghostbusters is getting the sequel it deserves with a brand new film set in the same universe and overseen by Jason Reitman, the son of the original film’s director, Ivan Reitman.

Dated for 2020, it is unknown whether any of the cast – including Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd – will return (Harold Ramis died in 2014). The film will be set in the present day.

“I’ve always thought of myself as the first Ghostbusters fan, when I was a 6-year-old visiting the set [of the 1984 film],“ Reitman said. ”I wanted to make a movie for all the other fans.“

Reitman called it “the next chapter in the original franchise”, and assured Entertainment Weekly it will not be a reboot.

“This is very early, and I want the film to unwrap like a present. We have a lot of wonderful surprises and new characters for the audience to meet,” he added.

Reitman has co-written the screenplay with Monster House director, Gil Kenan.

Paul Feig directed an all-female Ghostbusters reboot in 2016, which wasn’t connected to the original films. Reitman has confirmed that the new film “will follow the trajectory” of his father’s creations, although he said he had “so much respect” for what Feig created with actors Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig.

Reitman’s credits include Up in the Air, Tully and new Hugh Jackman film The Front Runner.

The new Ghostbusters will be released in the summer of 2020.

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