Ernie Hudson, Afterlife’s Carrie Coon and More Pay Tribute After Ghostbusters’ Ivan Reitman Dies At 75

News
By Dirk Libbey
published

The director of Ghostbusters has passed away and Hollywood is showing its love in a big way.

Yesterday, the world lost another great talent in writer/director/producer Ivan Reitman who passed away at the age of 75. Reitman was best known for directing the first two Ghostbusters movies, and producing the more recent entries of the franchise. But Reitman has been a huge part of Hollywood for decades, and so a lot of people are remembering Reitman, not just those from inside the Ghostbusters franchise.

Ernie Hudson, who appeared in all the Ghostbusters movies, responded to the news that Ivan Reitman had passed away by sending his condolences to the family of the lost man, including his son, writer/director Jason Reitman, who recently worked with his father on Ghostbusters: Afterlife.  

See more

Fellow Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd also made a statement to Deadline where he said he was heartbroken at the death of Reitman and you can feel that in the statement.

Feeling heartbreak today for Geneviève, Catherine, Caroline, Jason and family. The loss of my friend, collaborator, champion and one of the last great creative talents of the BIG SCREEN ERA crumples me. Now on Thursdays who am I gonna call?

Ivan Reitman produced the most recent Ghostbusters film, which was directed by his son Jason. A couple of the key cast members who joined the Ghostbusters franchise with the newest movie also shared their thoughts. Carrie Coon, who played the daughter of Harold Ramis’ iconic Ghostbusters character  said it was an “honor” to work with Reitman and to become part of the film series loved by so many.

See more

While Carrie Coon had some powerful things to say about Ivan Reitman, co-star Mckenna Grace had none. She simply posted a picture of herself and Reitman working together on the set of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and added a heart. No words were needed here. 

See more

Love also came to Jason Reitman from Paul Feig, director of the Ghostbusters spinoff project Answer the Call. While that particular film in the franchise has always struggled, Reitman was apparently always supportive of it and those that made it.  

See more

While Ivan Reitman’s name will be synonymous with Ghostbusters forever, he made many more memorable movies. He directed Meatballs, Stripes, Dave, Kindergarten Cop and Twins. He also had a profound impact on the careers of many other filmmakers. Joker director Todd Philips wrote a lengthy Instagram post about the influence that Reitman had on his career. Ivan Reitman produced Philips' earliest features, but also did a lot more… 

If it were boxing, he would have been my corner man. He had my back and he taught me SO much. He was always so generous with his expertise and experience and he was also so fucking harsh, in the BEST way.

Phil Lord posted to Twitter on Ivan Reitman’s passing with similar comments, talking about how supportive he was of his work with co-director Christopher Miller. he was supportive, but he always tried to help them be better. Lord said…

He sought us out and encouraged us when we made our first movie. He saw an early cut of Spider-verse (“Half of this is the best movie I have ever seen and the other half is bad”) and spent DAYS giving us helpful notes… He was always rigorous, curious, and generous with his advice. He cared about comedy but also about story and character and making a movie Good. Lucky to have known a fellow traveler who proved you can have it all. Thank you and RIP

Ivan Reitman clearly made a mark in Hollywood that will be remembered forever. He made great movies that will stand the test of time but he also inspired a generation of filmmakers that have already gone on to make their own mark. He will not soon be forgotten.

Dirk Libbey
Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.