‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’: Jason Reitman Reveals ‘Huge Argument’ Over Ectoplasm Color
Of all the things director Jason Reitman had to worry about while filming the upcoming movie Ghostbusters: Afterlife, slime color probably shouldn’t have been one of them. However, it was. In a new interview, the perfectionist director reveals why there was an argument over ectoplasm—additionally, he shares who settled the matter.
Ivan Reitman’s son, Jason Reitman, directed ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’
Jason Reitman is the son of iconic ‘80s director Ivan Reitman, who directed the original 1984 Ghostbusters and its 1989 sequel, Ghostbusters II. Therefore, he has a lot riding on its success. He invested himself personally and professionally.
In a September 2021 father/son interview with Empire, Jason said making the movie was like “navigating the shadow of [your] parents.” Reitman continued, saying that “no matter what your parents do, or who they are – that is the journey of being a child.”
Now that it’s all said and done, though, Ivan says he’s impressed with his son’s efforts. Moreover, Jason says his dad cried.
“My father hasn’t been leaving the house much because of COVID,” he said in a January 2021 Empire interview. “But he took a test, put on a mask and drove down to the Sony lot to watch the movie with the studio. And after, he cried, and he said, ‘I’m so proud to be your father.’ And it was one of the great moments of my life.”
The director admitted that he agonized over slime color
The journey to that moment, however, contains small but crucial details. In Empire magazine’s November 2021 issue, Jason admitted that there was a major to-do over the color of the slime for Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Naturally, the true authority on all things slime-related solved the debate.
“The slime color has changed from film to film, and I wanted the original-color slime,” said Jason Reitman. “We kept zeroing in on, ‘That’s too green. That’s not viscous enough.’ One day, they had two different vats and there was a huge argument over which one was right. I said, ‘Dad, can you come over here?’ And my dad just went over and pointed to a bucket and said, ‘That’s slime.'”
With that out of the way, the younger Reitman talked about his own emotional experiences with the movie.
Jason Reitman says the original ‘Ghostbusters’ in costume were ‘intimidating
In the same interview, Jason expalins that seeing the original Ghostbusters in their costumes was “intimidating.” He elaborates, saying that it got “real” quickly when Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Dan Aykroyd entered in their suits. Original Ghostbuster Harold Ramis, who played Egon Spengler, died in 2014.
“I don’t think I was prepared for what it would feel like when the original guys walk on set in their flight suits,” Jason said. “It’s like seeing superheroes and it feels very special. It’s also very intimidating. And it is an immediate reminder of what we were so presumptuous to attempt, which is to make another film that is a chapter in this larger story. It’s one thing to direct all-new characters because at that point, you can almost say that you’re making a fan fiction. When Bill [Murray] and Ernie [Hudson] and Dan [Aykroyd] walk in wearing flight suits, it becomes very real, very quickly.”
To sum up, Jason Reitman has plenty to be proud of — down to the color of his slime.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife hits theaters on November 19, 2021.
