Credit – Sony
Ivan Reitman, who brought us ‘Meatballs’, ‘Stripes’, ‘Animal House’, and the history making Ghostbusters franchise, passed away this past Saturday at the age of 75. It was an unexpected loss that many fans, including myself, were not ready or prepared for. Reitman had quite a few projects in pre-production and announced that are now in question, and certainly won’t be the same without Ivan Reitman’s magical touch and gift of storytelling. Some of those announced were a Ghostbusters: Ecto Force TV series and Stripes TV series, as well as the movies ‘Triplets’, which would have been a sequel to the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito ‘Twins’ movie, and ‘Summer of Love’ starring Shawn Mendes. Reitman’s last project, befittingly, would be ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’, which he produced with his son Jason who directed. To sound off with a franchise that brought so many generations of fans fun, excitement, and joy, is, in my opinion, the best eulogy a man of Reitman’s talents could receive. Ivan Reitman will be sorely Missed.
We Lost a Talent That Defined Fun and Escapism to Generations of Fans
In a joint statement from Ivan Reitman’s children, Jason, Catherine, and Caroline, they expressed the comfort in knowing their father brought laughter to fans across the world.
“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life. We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.”
In a heartfelt tweet, Jason Reitman said that he had lost his hero.
“I’ve lost my hero.
All I want is the chance to tell my father one more story.
He came from a family of survivors and turned his legacy into laughter.
Thank you for the kind messages. Enjoy his movies and remember his storytelling gifts. Nothing would make him happier.”
I’ve lost my hero.
All I want is the chance to tell my father one more story.
He came from a family of survivors and turned his legacy into laughter.
Thank you for the kind messages. Enjoy his movies and remember his storytelling gifts. Nothing would make him happier. pic.twitter.com/tSijfxSnLg— Jason Reitman (@JasonReitman) February 14, 2022
Thank You Ivan Reitman
Ivan Reitman gave us one of best franchises ever created with Ghostbusters. Alongside the Back to the Future, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones franchises, Ghostbusters defined what true fun and escapism really were. Excluding the woke garbage that Ghostbusters 2016 was, Ghostbusters stayed true to the fans and doubled down on that respect with ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’. Jason Reitman said last year that he wanted to give Ghostbusters back to the fans, and with the help of his father, he did just that. Ivan Reitman was a genius storyteller, that will be forever missed. His films were a hysterical over the top view of the times they were made in, never made us think too much, and always left us laughing and wanting more. That last scene in ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ has much more meaning, is more poignant, and will leave fans, including myself, with an empty space in our hearts, longing for more of what Ivan Reitman gave us. Ivan Reitman will never be forgotten, and will always be remembered for giving us memories that we can enjoy over and over again. Thank you Ivan Reitman…
Related: ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’
