Yesterday evening, Deadline released a lengthy statement by Ghostbusters III director Ivan Reitman, who finally broke his silence on the status of the sequel after the death of Harold Ramis. Following Ramis’s passing, Reitman has decided he no longer wants to direct the franchise reboot but will work with the production to help find the right person to helm it. Considering Reitman directed both of the original Ghostbusters movies and Ramis is now gone, the thought of a Ghostbusters III seems more and more like a bad idea now, though Sony is eager to breathe life back into the franchise. “It was such an amazing time in my life 30 years ago, and I felt that way on the second film,†Reitman explained. “With Harold no longer with us I couldn’t see it.â€
As for what shape the reboot will take, Reitman confirmed that the most recent script includes cameos from Aykroyd and Murray in minor roles. As for how it will compare to the originals:
I’m not going to say how many Ghostbusters there will be in the new cast, but we are determined to retain the spirit of the original film, and I am pleased that all of this seems to have happened organically. I’m hoping we can get started by the fall, set in New York, but given the logistics and the stuff that happens, the beginning of 2015 seems more likely.