The "Ghostbusters 3" saga just got slimed.
Vulture has posted quite the expose about the drama surrounding 63 year-old director Ivan Reitman and Columbia's potential cash cow.
The studio wants a younger filmmaker to take the franchise into the 3D, CGI-riddled future, similar to the way parent company Sony handed over its lucrative "Spider-Man" franchise to young, hip "500 Days of Summer" director Marc Webb. But Reitman isn't budging from the director's chair -- and he doesn't have to.
You see, in the early 80s, before the original "Ghostbusters" played like gangbusters at the box office, Reitman's then-agent Mike Ovitz made a deal with Columbia that gave Reitman complete creative control of the series along with the three main stars of the film, Bill Murray (Dr. Peter Venkman), Dan Aykroyd (Dr. Ray Stantz) and Harold Ramis (Dr. Egon Spengler).
Apparently the decision-making process must be unanimous, so if any of those four object to any element of a new "Ghostbusters," they can singlehandedly vote to halt the project. Aykroyd and Ramis have been actively consulting with screenwriters Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky (Pro: "The Office" Con: "Year One") on the direction of the story, so I wouldn't worry too much about their participation, but Murray remains a wild-card. During his last appearance on David Letterman's show, Murray said he'd only agree to be in the film if Venkman was killed off in the first reel.
Columbia will no doubt oblige him because it wants all of the actors back to pass the proton packs onto the next generation of 'Busters; they just don't want Reitman supervising that passing.
Contractually, Reitman can't force Columbia to allow him to direct, but he does have final director approval, so even if he does decide to walk away with his dignity intact, he'll have a say in who replaces him behind the camera, and will be able to veto any of the studio's choices.
In order for this project to move forward, Reitman and Columbia will obviously have to come to some sort of agreement and figure out an arrangement that works financially for both parties. The problem is that Sony isn't sure what the franchise is worth to them anymore. After all, it has been 20+ years since "Ghostbusters II" haunted theaters, and there's no TV series or action figures keeping the series relevant today, although those lines of revenue are likely to return should "Ghostbusters 3" prove to be a success.
The studio had initially hoped Reitman would be so busy with his Paramount comedy "Friends With Benefits" (due in theaters January 7, 2011) that he'd allow someone else to step in so as not to impede the project any longer, but the insiders Vulture spoke to indicate that Reitman thinks he can pull off both projects in a timely manner. Eisenberg and Stupnitsky are supposed to turn in the second draft of their script in May.
