The director of the original two "Ghostbusters" movies, Ivan Reitman, has decided not to direct "Ghostbusters 3," following the death of his close friend Harold Ramis, one of the original members of the movie's cast who starred alongside Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Sigourney Weaver.
In an interview with Deadline Hollywood, Reitman said he will instead help Sony Pictures find a new director, and the project will move forward on its intended 2015 reboot schedule. Reitman will continue as a producer.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
"It was such an amazing time in my life 30 years ago, and I felt that way on the second film," he told Deadline. "With Harold no longer with us I couldn’t see it."
Reitman said he and Sony have developed a short list of directors they'll reach out to, and then begin looking for a cast.
For many years, Reitman was the biggest champion of the project.
Bill Murray remained the holdout after he refused to even read the new script developed by Sony, Reitman, and Aykroyd. It was clear he did not want to reprise his role.
Murray "never actually said no, but he never said yes," Reitman told Deadline Hollywood. As a result, the reboot will only feature the original "Ghostbusters" cast "in a very minor role."
"We decided to start over again, and I started working with Etan Cohen, with Dan lending a helping hand," he continued. "Harold got sick about three years ago, and we kept hoping he would get better. I kept pushing forward on the Etan Cohen and we now have a draft that is very good, that the studio is very excited about."
Sony Pictures has had franchise successes with "James Bond," "Spider-Man," and the recently rebooted "Men in Black."
Editor's Note: Do You Support Obamacare? Vote in Urgent National Poll
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.