News has sadly broken that the director and producer Ivan Reitman has passed away at the age of 75. Reitman is noted for his work with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in his directing the first two Ghostbusters films, which remain his most enduring legacy. However, he also directed a whole slew of films widely-regarded now as classics.
Reitman was born in then-Czechoslovakia in 1946. His family emigrated to Canada as refugees when he was four years old. He attended McMaster University, where he developed his fascination for film and directed several short projects. He worked at CITY-TV in Toronto as a producer, but was later fired. He produced Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977) for David Cronenberg before helping produce National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). He leveraged the wild success of that comedy to direct Meatballs (1979), starring Bill Murray and co-written by Harold Ramis. Reitman re-teamed with Murray and Ramis to direct Stripes (1981).
Meanwhile Dan Aykroyd (a fellow Saturday Night Live player and friend of Ramis and Murray), a noted fan of the paranormal, had been writing a script about a group of paranormal investigators and ghost-hunters. He originally developed the script for himself and his friend and Blues Brothers co-star John Belushi to star in, but Belushi's death from a drug overdose in 1982 ruled out that idea. Bill Murray agreed to help Aykroyd out by replacing Belushi. Aykroyd then invited Ivan Reitman to direct. Reitman was initially reluctant, as Aykroyd's initial script was very complex, being set in the future and featuring extensive vfx requirements and a more serious tone. Reitman wryly estimated the cost of Aykroyd's film to be over $200 million. He met with Aykroyd and "gently" broke the news that the film was unmakeable, but could be turned into something great with rewrites, and suggested Harold Ramis join the project. Ramis was impressed by Aykroyd's ideas and helped rewrite the movie into something producible.
Columbia executive Frank Price bought the idea and moved the film into production, but his bosses were alarmed by the budget (three times the cost of Star Wars for a New York comedy seemed recklessly extravagant). Price left Columbia after the film was in production and moved to Universal, where he still exerted influence over the film: Universal owned the name "Ghost Busters" from a 1970s kid's comedy and Price agreed to sell the title to Columbia.
Released in 1984, Ghostbusters was an immediate financial smash and critical success, making just under $230 million at the box office. It was just overtaken by Beverly Hills Cop a few months later, but a 1985 re-release of the movie saw it surpass that film and become the highest-grossing comedy movie of the entire decade.
The wild success of Ghostbusters and Reitman's success in handling the cast and challenging production allowed him to pursue whatever projects he wished. He directed Legal Eagles (1986) and Twins (1988), his first collaboration with Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as Schwarzenegger's first comedy. Twins' massive success and the unusual backend deal on the film saw not only Reitman but also Schwarzenegger and co-star Danny DeVito make more money on that one movie than anything else in their careers.
Reitman pursued the idea of a sequel for Ghostbusters, but was stymied by Murray's reluctance to return. Eventually he was talked into doing the sequel, but scheduling problems delayed the film's release until 1989, by which time the momentum of the original movie had stalled (despite a successful spin-off animated series, The Real Ghostbusters). Despite mixed reviews, the film made a reasonable return.
Working on a third Ghostbusters movie stalled, whilst Reitman's career went from strength to strength: he directed Dave (1993), Six Days, Seven Nights (1998), Evolution (2001), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), No Strings Attached (2011) and Draft Day (2014), whilst producing films including Beethoven (1992), Space Jam (1996), Private Parts (1997), Old School (2003) and Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (2006).
In 2019, Reitman teamed up with his son Jason Reitman to finally resurrect Ghostbusters, ignoring a 2016 reboot. Jason Reitman directed the well-received Ghostbusters: Afterlife, with his father producing and standing in for his late friend Harold Ramis, using CGI.
Ivan Reitman passed away in his sleep on 12 February. He will be missed for his enduring comic touch and facility with actors.
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