While not a runaway smash, Ghostbusters: Afterlife seems to have done the trick rebooting the long-lived Ghostbusters franchise. Producer Ivan Reitman had been trying to figure out that formula for years, and it turns out, passing the torch to his son, director Jason Reitman, was the needed ingredient. However, things will be different for the upcoming sequel, as Jason has decided to step down.
According to Deadline, Jason Reitman has stepped down as director of the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel. Moving up to replace him is Gil Kenan, no stranger to the franchise as he co-wrote the previous film. Reitman will stay aboard as a producer and co-writer alongside Kenan and Jason Blumenthal.
This is hardly a step down. Kenan is best known for directing the amazing Oscar-nominated film, Monster House, and recently A Boy Called Christmas. He also directed City of Ember and 2015’s Poltergeistremake. Basically, Kenan has the corner nailed on scary haunted house movies.
“It’s an absolute honor to pick up the proton pack and step behind the camera for the next chapter of the Spengler family saga,” said Kenan. “I just wish I could go back to 1984 and tell the kid in the sixth row of the Mann Valley West that one day he was going to get to direct a ‘Ghostbusters’ film.”
Reitman added, “A few years ago, my father handed me the keys to Ecto-1, and together we made ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife.’ Words will never express how grateful I am to have made a film with my father by my side. It’s now time to hand those keys to my creative partner and fellow Ghostbuster Gil Kenan, a brilliant director who will keep the Spengler spirit alive. I can only hope to provide him the same producorial care and support that my father showed me.”
What Reitman is referencing without actually saying it is that his father Ivan Reitman recently passed away, and now he’s ready to move on and keep the Ghostbusters alive in a different way.
The Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel is expected to arrive on December 20th 2023, so Kenan better get a move on.