Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire story got the blessing of Ivan Reitman before he died

The release of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is upon us, and although the late Ivan Reitman sadly won’t get to see the movie, he did give his blessing before he died in 2022.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire director Gil Kenan told THR that Jason Reitman and himself did get to pitch the story for the sequel to Ivan Reitman. “We pitched an almost complete version of this film’s story outline to Ivan before his passing, and that was really meaningful,” Kenan said. “Obviously, we didn’t know that he wouldn’t be with us for the film, but his validation of the pitch and his joy at hearing it was something that kept us going through the writing.“

Kenan added, “I’m obviously very grateful to Jason for entrusting me with his family’s franchise. But I’m also really grateful that I was able to have a front row seat to the profound passing of the torch that took place on Afterlife between Ivan and Jason. The level of pride and love that Ivan showed, and the screenings that I was lucky enough to attend with him and audiences around the world, there was a depth to the satisfaction and the pride that I experienced in those moments that was so special. And those are core elements that we carry forward into the Ghostbusters stories going forward, starting with Frozen Empire.“

It remains to be seen if we’ll get another Ghostbusters sequel, but Kenan said that they would like to “continue the Phoebe Spengler saga” if they’re lucky enough to return.

Here’s the synopsis for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire: “The Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.” The film stars Queen of Physical Media Carrie Coon, as well as Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Celeste O’Connor, Logan Kim, and Annie Potts. The original Ghostbusters, consisting of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson, will also appear, and director Gil Kenan has said that they will be treated like “actual characters” this time around.

Our own Chris Bumbray recently caught the sequel, and while he had fun, he didn’t feel as though it was as good as Afterlife. “I was a big fan of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Jason Reitman’s film skillfully blended nostalgia with a new take on the franchise that opened up the Ghostbusters universe in an inclusive way. It welcomed new fans without alienating old ones, something the 2016 reboot notoriously failed at,” Bumbray wrote. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire seems to be aimed at building the franchise out more extensively. While it’s still a fun, nostalgia-driven return to the Ghostbusting universe, it’s not as good as the last film and spreads itself too thin to do the new characters justice.” You can check out the rest of Bumbray’s review right here.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will hit theaters on March 22nd.