It’s hard to think of a Ghostbusters film happening without the involvement of the original actors. After all, it was their personalities that gave them film its character in the first place, but Reitman assured us that it wouldn’t be something we need to concern ourselves with. “I have met with all of the main actors who are involved in it and we will all be back for the sequel. This is the first time in my life that I am more optimistic than negative about Ghostbusters III happening.” Even Sigourney Weaver? “Yes, Sigourney will be back as well.” Reitman also assured us that he will be returning to the directors’ chair should the project get further off the ground, saying with a laugh that it would “hurt” if he “was not given the same role on the third”.
One of the defining aspects of Ghostbusters is the mixture of humour with the serious elements, as well as the fantastic. Through the years it has become one of the most enduring traits of the films, frequently referenced as a reason for why their popularity has remained as high as it has. For Reitman, this remains the principle challenge in his filmmaking generally, as well as within the franchise. “That mixture of genres is very hard to pull off. I tried to do it in my very first feature – the all-time underrated classic Cannibal Girls, but I did not do it too successfully. However, in almost all of my work there is definitely a sci-fi element. Stuff like Twins, Junior and Evolution all have that underpinning. However, it is a tough thing to do and you can get killed on both sides. For example, the horror and sci-fi fans hated Evolution and the comedy buffs didn’t like it either. I guess I just got lucky with Ghostbusters.” Even so, its success wasn’t just down to the jokes, but was a milieu of other facets as well. “Well I always thought that the success of Ghostbusters had little to do with the special effects and more to do with the story and the characters. You have to remember that it was quite fresh back then to see special effects mixed with humour. Ghostbusters is very much a product of its time.”
This article appears as the lead news item in the print edition of SciFiNow, issue 36 by Calum Waddell with additional reporting by James Rundle. To buy a copy of the magazine, on sale on 23 December 2009, or to subscribe, go to www.imagineshop.com, or call our subscriptions hotline on +44 (0) 844 844 0245.
