Co-writer/director Jason Reitman reveals he and the Ghostbusters: Afterlife team got into a huge argument over the color of ectoplasm slime. The latest installment in the iconic horror comedy franchise picks up 22 years after Ghostbusters II as single mother Callie Spengler and her two children move to an old farmhouse in a small Oklahoma town left to them by the kids’ late grandfather. The kids learn of his history as an original Ghostbuster and his investigation into mysterious ongoings in the town that may be connected to the events of the original film and must use his equipment to save the world from a new supernatural threat.

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The cast for Ghostbusters: Afterlife includes Carrie Coon, Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard as the Spenglers, Paul Rudd as local teacher Mr. Grooberson who is roped into helping save the town as well as original stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts reprising their roles. The Ghostbusters franchise has become something of infamy in the years since the first sequel’s release with the threequel languishing in development hell for years before the decision to reboot with a female-fronted cast that would become a box office failure despite modest positive reviews. All future plans for the reboot were scrapped and Sony would return to the main Ghostbusters universe with Jason Reitman, son of original director and producer Ivan, set to co-write and direct a follow-up to the first two films.

Reitman recently spoke with Empire (via SYFY Wire) about Ghostbusters: Afterlife and working with his father and original director Ivan. The younger filmmaker revealed he and his team got into a “huge argument” surrounding the attempt to recreate the slime color from the original film and had to turn to Ivan for help settling the issue. See what Reitman said below:

“The slime color has changed from film to film, and I wanted the original-color slime. 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.'”

As evidenced by a recent behind-the-scenes video for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Reitman and his team have taken lengths to keep a good portion of the film’s action practical versus the over-abundance of CGI in the 2016 reboot. The original Ghostbusters featured a number of iconic practical gags in its runtime and the slime is one many still fondly remember and reference when discussing the film. With Reitman having stated at various points in the sequel’s development he hoped to deliver a film closer to fans’ hopes than the reboot, his desire to capture the same color of slime from the first Ghostbusters may be a bit extreme but shows the lengths he took to capture the nostalgia in an effective way.

Though full reviews have yet to release for the film, early reactions to Ghostbusters: Afterlife have certainly pointed to Reitman’s efforts proving effective. Ectoplasm was certainly seen throughout the original Ghostbusters films but with Reitman specifically stating the color of green as the toughest to capture, it points towards the possibility of fan-favorite specter Slimer appearing in the sequel. Only time will tell when Ghostbusters: Afterlife hits theaters on November 19.

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Source: Empire (via SYFY Wire)

Key Release Dates
  • Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)Release date: Nov 19, 2021
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Grant Hermanns
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Grant Hermanns is a News Writer, Interviewer and Hiring Manager for Screen Rant, having joined the team in early 2021. Way back in 2015 while still in his college days, Grant got his start in the entertainment journalism industry with creator-friendly site Moviepilot until it shuttered nearly three years later. From there he joined the staff at ComingSoon.net and was its Associate Editor prior to coming over to Screen Rant.

To say he’s a lover of film and television would be an understatement and when he’s not mass consuming either you can find him exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends or slowly making his way through his gaming backlog.

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