Ivan Reitman

{{Infobox person

| name =

| honorific_suffix = OC

| image = Ivan Reitman 2011.jpg

| caption = Reitman in 2011

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1946|10|27}}

| birth_place = Komárno, Czechoslovakia

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|02|12|1946|10|27}}

| death_place = Montecito, California, U.S.

| resting_place = Santa Barbara Cemetery

| alma_mater = McMaster University

| nationality = Canadian

| occupation = {{hlist|Film director|producer|screenwriter}}

| yearsactive = 1968–2022

| spouse = {{marriage|Geneviève Robert|1976}}

| children = 3, including Jason and Catherine

}}

Ivan Reitman {{post-nominals|OC}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|aɪ|t|m|ə|n}}; October 27, 1946 – February 12, 2022) was a Canadian film director and producer. He was known for his comedy films, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. Reitman was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company, founded in 1998.

Films he directed include Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Twins (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Dave (1993), Junior (1994) and Draft Day (2014). Reitman also served as producer for such films as National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), Heavy Metal (1981), Space Jam (1996) and Private Parts (1997).

Early life

Ivan Reitman was born in the town of Komárno, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), on October 27, 1946, the son of Klara (Raab) and Ladislav "Leslie" Reitman.{{Cite web|url=https://jewishsantabarbara.org/portraits-of-survival/survivor-stories/leslie-reitman|title=Leslie Reitman | Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara|website=jewishsantabarbara.org}} Both of Reitman's parents were Hungarian Jews; his mother survived the Auschwitz concentration camp, and his father was an underground resistance fighter.{{cite web|url=http://www.forward.com/articles/12012/|title=Director Shows His 'Stripes'|work=Forward|first=Eric|last=Kohn|date=November 14, 2007|access-date=February 13, 2022}}{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/73/Ivan-Reitman.html|title=Ivan Reitman Biography (1946-)|website=www.filmreference.com}}{{Cite web|last=Bloom|first=Nate|title=Jewish Stars 1/21 |publisher=Cleveland Jewish News|date=January 21, 2011|url=https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/archives/jewish-stars/article_e18fd01c-f10f-5765-8708-bc3311fa7e6d.html}} His family arrived in Canada as refugees when Reitman was four years old. Reitman attended Oakwood Collegiate in Toronto and was a member of the Twintone Four singing group.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}} He attended McMaster University,{{cite web| title = McMaster University Alumni| url=http://www.mcmaster.ca/ua/alumni/| access-date = January 10, 2007}} receiving a Bachelor of Music in 1969. At McMaster he produced and directed many short films.{{cite web| title = McMaster University Alumni Community| url = http://alumni.os.mcmaster.ca/s/1439/index2.aspx?sid=1439&gid=1&pgid=1716| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130811161324/http://alumni.os.mcmaster.ca/s/1439/index2.aspx?sid=1439&gid=1&pgid=1716| url-status = dead| archive-date = August 11, 2013}}

Career

Reitman's first producing job was with the then-new station CITY-TV in Toronto. CITY was also the home of the first announcing job of his later friend and collaborator Dan Aykroyd. However, Reitman's tenure at CITY was short and he was fired during his first year by station owner Moses Znaimer.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}

In Toronto, he produced the stage production Spellbound (1973) starring his university friend, magician Doug Henning, with a script by David Cronenberg and score by Howard Shore.{{Cite journal|date=1973-12-19|title=Spellbound|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_variety_1973-12-19_273_6/page/42/mode/2up|journal=Variety|volume=273|issue=6|pages=43|issn=0011-5509|via=archive.org}} This show evolved into the 1974 Broadway production The Magic Show, which ran for four and a half years at the Cort Theatre. Reitman and Henning also collaborated on the 1983 musical Merlin, for which Reitman was nominated for the Tony Awards for Best Musical (as a producer) and Best Direction of a Musical.{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/ivan-reitman-15966 |title=Ivan Reitman |publisher=IBDB |accessdate=11 Jan 2025}}

File:Ivan Reitman with prop from Ghostbusters (cropped).jpg

Reitman's first commercial film ventures were as producer of two films for director David Cronenberg, Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977). His big break came when he produced National Lampoon's Animal House in 1978 and directed Meatballs in 1979. From there, he directed and produced a number of comedies including Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984),{{cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/15193/ghostbusters-3-director-confirmed/|title=Ghostbusters 3 Director Confirmed!|date=January 13, 2010|first=Steve|last=Barton|work=DreadCentral|access-date=February 13, 2022}} Legal Eagles (1986), Twins (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989),{{cite web|url=http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/18693|title=Ivan Reitman Verbally Confirms He'll Direct 'Ghostbusters 3'|date=January 13, 2010}} Kindergarten Cop (1990), Dave (1993), Junior (1994), Six Days, Seven Nights (1998), Evolution (2001), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), and No Strings Attached (2011).

In the early 1990s, Reitman began to direct fewer films, but increased his role as a producer and executive producer through his company, Northern Lights Entertainment.Britton, Bonnie. "Director of 'Junior' has delivered plenty of hits." The Indianapolis Star (November 25, 1994). He helped to produce the animated film Heavy Metal (1981), as well as the live-action films Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983), Beethoven (1992), Beethoven's 2nd (1993), Space Jam (1996), Howard Stern's film Private Parts (1997)

In 1998, Reitman (alongside former Universal Pictures chairman Tom Pollock) founded The Montecito Picture Company, a film production company located just south of Santa Barbara.{{cite news |last1=Madigan |first1=Nick |title=PFE adds to stable |url=https://variety.com/1998/film/news/pfe-adds-to-stable-1117467801/ |access-date=August 4, 2023 |work=Variety|date=February 17, 1998}} In 2007, Reitman was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.{{cite web|url=http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductees/01_ivan_reitman.xml.htm|website=canadaswalkoffame.com|title=Canada's Walk of Fame: Ivan Reitman|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061030074045/http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductees/01_ivan_reitman.xml.htm|archive-date=October 30, 2006}}

He next produced the comedy I Love You, Man (2009), starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. Also in 2009, he produced the Academy Award-nominated film, Up in the Air, directed by his son Jason Reitman. Later, Reitman had planned to direct the erotic thriller Chloe (2009) but he couldn't attract the cast he wanted so Reitman decided to only serve as a producer and asked Atom Egoyan to direct the film.{{cite web|website=thewriterlylife.blogspot.hk|title=Atom Egoyan lets 'Chloe' put words in his mouth|first=Andrea|last=Warner|date=March 24, 2010|url=http://thewriterlylife.blogspot.hk/2010/03/atom-egoyan.html}} Chloe has since enjoyed commercial success and became Egoyan's biggest moneymaker ever.{{cite news| url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/901059--the-digital-revolution-film | work=The Star | first=Geoff | last=Pevere | title=The Digital Revolution: Part 1 | date=December 7, 2010}}

In his final decade, Reitman also co-produced the biographical film Hitchcock, released on November 23, 2012, directed the 2014 sports drama Draft Day, starring Kevin Costner, and served as executive producer on 2021's Space Jam: A New Legacy as he had done for the first film.

In mid-January 2019, news of a new Ghostbusters film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, came through with Ivan's son Jason Reitman taking over as co-writer and director.{{Cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2019/01/ernie-hudson-ghostbusters-3/|title = Ernie Hudson on new Ghostbusters movie: "Everybody is in"|date = January 18, 2019|work=Consequence|first=Michael|last=Roffman|access-date=February 13, 2022}} Ivan remained producer, and stood in for the late Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler using visual effects.{{cite web |title=Original Ghostbusters director stood in as Egon Spengler in Afterlife |url=https://ghostbustersnews.com/2021/11/25/original-ghostbusters-director-stood-in-as-egon-spengler-in-afterlife/ |website=Ghostbusters News |access-date=November 26, 2021 |date=November 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126120000/https://ghostbustersnews.com/2021/11/25/original-ghostbusters-director-stood-in-as-egon-spengler-in-afterlife/|archive-date=November 26, 2021|url-status=live}} The film was released on November 19, 2021, marking his final film before his death. However, Reitman received a posthumous producer credit for the sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which was released on March 22, 2024. The film is also dedicated to his memory.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/ghostbusters-frozen-empire-release-date-1235700558/|title='Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire's Release Date Pushed Forward By Sony|last=Grobar|first=Matt|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=January 9, 2024|access-date=January 9, 2024}}

=Unmade projects=

In the early 1980s, Tom Mankiewicz wrote a script for a film titled The Batman, with Reitman attached to direct. He planned to cast Meatballs star Bill Murray as Batman, David Niven as Alfred Pennyworth, William Holden as Commissioner James Gordon, and singer David Bowie as Joker.{{cite web|url=http://batman-news.com/2013/07/04/10-batman-films-that-almost-happened/|title=10 Batman films that almost happened|date=July 5, 2013|work=Batman News}} Following the deaths of Holden and Niven and rewrites of the script, Reitman left the project and was replaced by Gremlins director Joe Dante, but the film was never made.

In the mid-1980s, Reitman was in contention to direct Memoirs of an Invisible Man, but departed from the project due to creative differences with star Chevy Chase.{{cite news|date=June 12, 1988|title=Exit Line|page=K33|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-12-ca-7174-story.html?_amp=true}}

File:Labor Day 20 (9766111984).jpg

In February 1996, it was reported that Reitman was planning a remake of Creature From the Black Lagoon at Universal with a script by Herschel Weingrod and Timothy Harris, as well as a potential Marx brothers feature,{{cite magazine|last=Archerd|first=Army|url=https://variety.com/1996/voices/columns/hiller-relieved-that-noms-weren-t-leaked-1117862860/|title=Hiller relieved that noms weren't leaked|magazine=Variety|date=February 12, 1996|access-date=July 10, 2024}} but neither materialized.

In April 1996, it was reported that Reitman was attached to produce, and possibly direct, a Wonder Woman film.{{cite magazine |last1=Burr |first1=Ty |title=Comic movies |url=https://ew.com/article/1996/04/19/comic-movies/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=February 13, 2022 |date=April 1, 1996}} However, three years later, he passed the project on to writer Jon Cohen and left for unknown reasons.

In 2000, Reitman along with Wolfgang Petersen, Rob Reiner, M. Night Shyamalan, Alan Parker, Tim Robbins, Terry Gilliam, Brad Silberling and Peter Weir were considered to direct Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone but the directing job was given to Chris Columbus instead.{{cite web |last1=Tilden |first1=Imogen |title=Harry Potter, the film and the phenomenon in numbers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/oct/30/harrypotter.imogentilden |website=The Guardian |access-date=February 13, 2022 |date=October 30, 2001}}

In 2001, Reitman revealed he would direct MGM's remake of The Pink Panther, with Mike Myers in the role of Inspector Clouseau. A 2006 iteration starred Steve Martin in the role instead.{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/05/17/reitman-talks-pink-panther|title=Reitman Talks Pink Panther|website=IGN|date=May 17, 2001}}

In March 2007, New York magazine, citing no sources, stated that Sony Pictures Entertainment wanted to replace Reitman on Ghostbusters III with a younger director, but that Reitman's original contract precluded this.Brodesser-Akner, Claude. [https://www.vulture.com/2010/03/ghostbusters_3_ivan_reitman.html "Reitman Foils Studio's Ghostbusters Reboot Plans"], Vulture, March 17, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2022 In early 2010, it appeared as if Reitman would direct the film,{{cite web|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/2435116/exclusive-ghostbusters-3-script-is-in-ivan-reitman-confirms-he-will-direct/|title=EXCLUSIVE: 'Ghostbusters 3' Script Is In, Ivan Reitman Confirms He WILL Direct|publisher=MTV|date=January 13, 2010|access-date=February 13, 2022|first=Adam|last=Rosenberg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114202339/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/01/13/exclusive-ghostbusters-3-script-is-in-ivan-reitman-confirms-he-will-direct/|archive-date=January 14, 2010}} but in September 2014, after Harold Ramis' death, Paul Feig was officially set to direct a new film, which was released in 2016 as a reboot of the franchise.{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ghostbusters-3-targets-paul-feig-as-director-723028/|title='Ghostbusters 3' Targets Paul Feig as Director |last=Kit |first=Borys|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 2, 2014|access-date=February 13, 2022}}{{cite web|publisher=Dread Central|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/92693/latest-on-new-ghostbusters-movie-universe-chris-pratt-in-the-mix-four-films/|title=Latest on New Ghostbusters Movie Universe; Chris Pratt in the Mix? Four Films?!|date=March 10, 2015|first=John|last=Squires}}

In March 2012, it was reported that a sequel to Twins, titled Triplets, was in the works, and that Reitman would co-produce the film.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/twins-triplets-arnold-schwarzenegger-danny-devito-eddie-murphy-306026/|title='Twins' Sequel 'Triplets' in the Works for Arnold, DeVito...and Eddie Murphy (Exclusive)|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=March 29, 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR_3wyjgIUo|title=Arnold Schwarzenegger Confirms Terminator 5, Conan and Twins Sequels|last=Red Carpet News TV|date=January 22, 2013|via=YouTube}} Deadline reported in September 2021 that Reitman would both direct and produce Triplets and that shooting was scheduled to begin in January 2022. The status of the film is unclear following Reitman's death,{{Cite web|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|date=September 14, 2021|title='Twins' Sequel 'Triplets' Set: Tracy Morgan Joins Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito & Director Ivan Reitman In Hot Toronto Package|url=https://deadline.com/2021/09/twins-sequel-triplets-tracy-morgan-joins-arnold-schwarzenegger-danny-devito-ivan-reitman-hot-toronto-film-package-1234830766/|access-date=November 13, 2021|website=Deadline}} with Arnold Schwarzenegger suggesting that Reitman's son Jason "stopped the project when his father died" and that the younger Reitman "never liked the idea."{{Cite web|last=De La Paz|first=Maggie|date=May 18, 2023|title=Triplets Update: Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals Disappointing News on Twins Sequel|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1289418-triplets-arnold-schwarzenegger-update-twins-sequel|access-date=June 8, 2023|website=Coming Soon}}

In 2013, it was revealed that Reitman had plans to make a sequel to Evolution,{{cite web|url=https://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/8820/are-there-any-plans-to-make-a-sequel-to-the-film-evolution-2001|title=Are there any plans to make a sequel to the film Evolution (2001)|website=Movies & TV Stack Exchange}} but they never came to fruition.

In June 2016, it was reported that Reitman would produce a prospective animated series Ghostbusters: Ecto Force.{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2016/06/original-ghostbusters-director-ivan-reitman-to-produce-futuristic-ghostbusters-cartoon/|title=Original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman to produce futuristic Ghostbusters cartoon|date=June 21, 2016|work=Consequence|access-date=February 13, 2022|first=Colin|last=Brennan}} In July 2017, Reitman stated that Ecto Force had been postponed to focus on an animated Ghostbusters film that he would produce and co-direct alongside Fletcher Moules.{{cite web|author1=Takao|date=August 7, 2017|title=Ghostbusters: Ecto Force postponed for new film|url=http://www.toonbarn.com/other-cartoons/ghostbusters-ecto-force-postponed-animated-feature/|url-status=live|access-date=August 16, 2017|website=ToonBarn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224012106/http://www.toonbarn.com/other-cartoons/ghostbusters-ecto-force-postponed-animated-feature/|archive-date=February 24, 2020}}

Personal life and death

Reitman married Geneviève Robert in 1976. He had two daughters and a son, Jason, who is a film director best known for his films Juno, Thank You for Smoking, Up in the Air and Ghostbusters: Afterlife. His daughter Catherine is the creator, executive producer, writer and star of the CBC comedy series Workin' Moms. His other daughter, Caroline, is a nurse in San Diego, California. He and his French-Canadian wife, who converted to Judaism, brought up their children in the same tradition.{{cite news |last1=Hanau |first1=Shira |title=Ivan Reitman, Ghostbusters director, Auschwitz survivor son, dies at 75 |url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-696496 |access-date=6 April 2022 |work=The Jerusalem Post |agency=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214234140/https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-696496 |archive-date=February 14, 2022}}

In 2009, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada "for his contributions as a director and producer, and for his promotion of the Canadian film and television industries".{{cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=13469|title=Governor General Announces 57 New Appointments to the Order of Canada|work=Office of the Secretary to the Governor General|access-date=December 30, 2009|date=December 30, 2009}} In April 2011, he received the Mayor's Prize at his native city of Komárno, Slovakia.{{Cite web|url=http://www.komarno.sk/a-polgarmester-dijazta-komarom-kiemelkedo-szemelyisegeit_3582-n.html|title=Primátor ocenil osobnosti mesta Komárno|website=komarno.sk|language=sk|access-date=January 23, 2020|archive-date=August 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820061255/http://www.komarno.sk/a-polgarmester-dijazta-komarom-kiemelkedo-szemelyisegeit_3582-n.html|url-status=dead}} He received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Ivan Reitman|url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/126-104419|access-date=2022-02-19|website=Office of the Secretary to the Governor General}}

In 2014, he said "I've always been something of a conservative-slash-libertarian."{{Cite web|last=Doherty|first=Brian|url=https://reason.com/2014/09/23/ivan-reitman-cops-to-libertarian-subtext/|title = Ivan Reitman Cops to Libertarian Subtext of Ghostbusters|date = September 23, 2014|work=Reason}} Reitman had previously appeared in the 2004 documentary, Rated R: Republicans in Hollywood.{{Cite web|last=Schodolski|first=Vincent J.|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-10-04-0410040266-story.html|title=Conservatives raise profile in liberal bastion Hollywood|website=Chicago Tribune|date=3 October 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710091455/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-10-04-0410040266-story.html|archive-date=10 July 2022}}

Reitman died in his sleep at home in Montecito, California, on February 12, 2022, at the age of 75.{{cite web |last1=Bahr |first1=Lindsey |title=Ivan Reitman, producer, 'Ghostbusters' director, dies at 75 |url=https://apnews.com/article/ivan-reitman-dead-d67947aa895371cd9f5840e6e9339440 |website=AP NEWS |access-date=February 13, 2022 |date=February 13, 2022}}