Happy Sad Confused - Jason Reitman, Vol. II

Episode Date: November 17, 2021

Jason Reitman's destiny has finally caught up with him! On this return to the podcast, Jason talks about what finally drew him into the "Ghostbusters" universe (the original of course helmed by his father) and what this means for the future of his career. Plus Jason and Josh talk an unlikely comfort movie in David Fincher's "Zodiac"! Don't forget to check out the Happy Sad Confused patreon here! We've got exclusive episodes of GAME NIGHT, video versions of the podcast, and more! For all of your media headlines remember to subscribe to The Wakeup newsletter here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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See Golden Nuggett Casino.com for details. Please play responsibly. Prepare your ears, humans. Happy, sad, confused begins now. Today on Happy, Said Confused, filmmaker Jason Reitman brings a classic back to life with Ghostbusters's afterlife. Hey guys, Josh Harrowitz here with another edition of Happy, Sad Confused, and a returning filmmaker to the pod, Mr. Jason Reitman. This is a fascinating, fascinating turn for Jason Reitman. And if you know his work, you know he's kind of been operating very much in the dramatic world and sometimes in the dramatic comedy world.

Juno, thank you for smoking, young adult, a host of great films. And he's always kind of resisted the questions about, you know, would you tackle one of your father's, a type of film your father did, or even a sequel to one of his father's films. his father, of course, being the great Ivan Reitman. And yes, Ivan Reitman's classic Ghostbusters film is the one that's loomed large for years about something that Jason may or may not be interested in. And he's always begged it off and said, no, it's not for me. But here he is. He has come around after all these years.

He had an idea for what to do with the Ghostbusters franchise. And he's really delivered a true crowd pleaser with Ghostbusters afterlife, which is opening this week. I got a chance to see this movie. I saw this. We taped this about a month ago. They surprised the audience at New York Comic-Con by showing the film. And I got a chance to see it then.

And to see it with that audience was really special. It really delivers. This is a really fun movie that clearly has so much reverence for the original, for those characters, for all the accoutrements of the Ghostbusters from the Proton Pack to the car to everything about it. you'll see so many fun nods to the original in this movie and a lot of familiar faces and really the most important part about the frankly are the new faces. McKenna Grace is fantastic in this. Carrie Coon, of course, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard.

This is a story about a family, a family that has connections to the Ghostbusters of the past, but it is in a much different kind of setting. We're not in the big city. Now, this is a rural setting, but without spoiling anything, all hell does break loose. and we start to kind of, this starts to morph into a more familiar Ghostbusters movie as it goes. And what can I say? It really played very well for a big audience. I had a fun time watching it.

I had a smile on my face for most of the running time. And I'm excited for you guys to check it out. I think it's going to do really, really well for everybody involved. And I'm happy for Jason, who is just a fun guy to talk to about movies. Always has been. And has such a great wit about him. and he's yeah it's just exciting to sort of see where he's where he's come from and where and how he's kind of come full circle to kind of like honor his dad's legacy honor harold ramus's legacy which

looms large in this film um so yes no spoilers in this don't worry but um a great conversation with jason wrightman in this and i know you guys are going to dig it and as i said just for context sake i think this was like the day after maybe new york comic on so i think he was riding high off of that screening. But yeah, that's the main event today. But there's a lot of other stuff to talk about, but I do want to mention. I got a chance to talk to Andrew Garfield for MTV. His new film is fantastic.

Tick, tick, boom. I believe it drops on Netflix this Friday as well. This time of year is crazy, guys. I feel like I've watched a great movie, like, every day, like, the last five days. And that's, like, after, like, not seeing, like, a great movie for, like, two months. You know what I mean? It's just the ratio just shifts in this time of year, and it's so exciting. So, yes, Tic-Tick-T-Bum. I do want to plug because I really dug it. It's directed by Lynn Manuel, Miranda. You know him. You love him. But of course, it is based on the Jonathan Larson musical. Jonathan Larson, if you don't know, was the brilliant creator of Rent and Tick-Tick-Bomb, who tragically, randomly, just one of these cosmic fate things, just just,

He died, like, on the eve of his huge success. Never got a chance to see the success that Rent became. And this musical is really about, wow, it's about a lot of things. It's about what we do with the limited time we have on this planet. It's about creativity. It's about frustration. It's about love. And it features a fantastic performance from Andrew Garfield.

So, as I said, I got a chance to talk to Andrew, who I always love talking to. He was on the podcast just a few months back. If you want to go back into the archives, that's well worth checking out. But this is another great chat. And this is going to be on MTV News very soon on their YouTube, Twitter, et cetera. So I'll put that out there. And yes, of course, we have a laugh about our ongoing discussions about Andrew Garfield, is he or isn't he in the new Spider-Man film.

I don't know anything for a fact, guys. I don't have any inside dope on this, but I'm pretty sure he's going to be in it. I'm just going to say, that's my vote. Anyway, what else do I want to say? I know, Sam Hewin. Okay, I've been plugging this one for a while. I've been teasing this one for a while. It's about, I think by the time you listen to this,

if you're listening to this on the day, this episode drops. We're about 24 or 48 hours away from finally dropping this epic comedy central sketch I shot with Sam. I'll have more to say about it, maybe on next week's show and on the Patreon page for, like, the inside dirt and the background on it. But suffice it to say, I'm really proud of it. Sam is hysterical in it. It's maybe one of my favorite things we've ever done together. And it's going to be out there for all to see on Comedy Central's social platforms. And I'm putting a whole bunch of goodie extras on the Patreon page. Photos, some videos. So stay tuned. If you want more of the Sam Hewin goodness,

go over to patreon.com slash happy, say I confused. That's to come very, very soon. is there anything else to mention let me think let me think i don't know guys just a lot of really good movies coming thanksgiving around the corner some really great podcasts on the way i announced the other day katrina balf she might be next week's episode i'm kind of working out the schedule right now some great filmmakers some great actors some familiar faces some new faces um yeah it's all right so let's get right to the main event um let's talk some ghostbusters what a good excuse. What a great, what a great gig sometimes when you get to just talk about Ghostbusters for 45 minutes. I mean, Ghostbusters loomed so large in my life. I probably have seen it more than any

other movies. So the fact that I got a chance to talk to Jason about this was just a real dream come true. A dream I didn't know I had. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chat with me and Jason Reitman. Remember to check out Ghostbusters Afterlife in theaters this Friday. Jason. Josh, why so low key? What's the story? Well, I'm building up. I need to save the energy for the excitement to come.

We'll start low. We'll start chill. No, let's start. We're not starting chill. Jason Reitman is back on the podcast. We're doing it. I'm thrilled to have our 17th conversation about movies. Well, not only that.

Okay, so there's a lot to talk about. Congratulations, sir. As we tape this, it has just screened at New York Comic-Con. I was privileged to be in the audience, and that is the way you want to screen a movie. my friend uh congratulations that's awesome thank you very much josh what was the first movie that you and i talked about this it must have been juno i don't think we talked for thank you for smoking okay i was curious so he so i do actually kind of delve into our past because i want to give you a compliment

and in exchange for that i want a bit of an apology or at least an explanation wow ready okay let's go okay let's do this to dig in your movie's fantastic the movie is so thrilling i mean You know I am a huge Ghostbusters fan as well as a fan of yours. And it's kind of a miracle. This is a hard high wire act to navigate and you truly deliver on so many levels. At the same time, Jason, we've talked for 15 years. Yeah. We've talked about ghosts.

There's a trust. There's a bond. There was a trust. Whoa. Josh. I'm just saying, how many times have we talked about Ghostbusters? How many times have you said to me and, to be fair, many others? right you don't you don't want me directing your ghostbusters right it's going to be two people

talking in a room it's not going to be interesting right my question yes were you lying to me were you lying to yourself what what what what what gives i don't know what do you think the actual answer to that is i think you evolved i think i think you got to a place where i think in the back of your head it was always there and maybe you weren't you didn't want to acknowledge that and you needed to establish who you were on your own merits before you could maybe go back and kind of do your riff on on dad's on dad's baby i don't know you tell me you know i look i'm like you know i'm like indiana jones they've just said hey we have found a map to find the goblet of christ you need to go get it and then he's like i don't know if i can do it and they're like

well we lost the last guy and it was your dad and now you get to go and he goes and he finds his father and they do it together. I think this was just, this was our last crusade. Tell me this. Are you saying I chose wisely? You did choose. Look, I'm happy to.

No, I'll give you an honest. You deserve an honest answer. I've been around this franchise since as long as I can remember. Right? I was six years old on the set of Ghostbusters. I was seven years old when it came out. I remember being on that set.

It's literally my first memories. I remember seeing the guys in their flight suits. I remember seeing the car in Manhattan. I remember seeing when they, like, dropped marshmallow on William Atherton. I remember seeing my dad on the Chapman grain. You know, it's the first time I really kind of thought of my father as a director. And that movie was a sensation. Everybody I know was a Ghostbuster that Halloween.

Everybody knew the song. And while I had doubts about being a filmmaker, I was certain I was going to never attempt to make a Ghostbusters movie because why would I enter that gauntlet and fail in that shadow or fail in that spotlight, sorry. And over time, I had these ideas, because look, I grew up on the same movies. I love Ghostbusters. I love the movies of the 80s. And it was my father that finally gave me the final push. I had the story. I pitched it to him in secret. He really loved it. He literally cried when I told him the story for this movie.

And we went into Sony and I said, hey, Gil and I are willing to write this movie, but it's got to be a secret because I didn't want anyone finding out. So when I used to say, you don't want me directing this movie. We had two people talking about ghosts. I think somewhere in my heart I really believed that. When did the first germ of this idea come into your brain?

When did you at least kind of contemplate maybe that there's something to hear? Literally had this image of a girl with a proton pack in a field and I would tell it to people on set as a joke, like as a kind of like, you know what my Ghostbusters movie would be? It'd be a girl on a farm with a proton pack.

And it was a nice conversation ender because people were like, oh okay well that's not going to happen you know because everyone in their head is like ghostbusters takes place in Manhattan and and then when Harold passed away like I just kind of suddenly knew oh maybe this is the Spengla family right and I started kind of tracking a route that led to the end of the the film and I'm for whatever reason once I know the ending of a movie that's when I know how to tell the story that's where it oddly starts for me and they became there came

a moment where I knew what the ending of this movie was and then I kind of needed to tell it. So when we last had a lengthy chat, it was a couple years back for the frontrunner and Tully. And then two months later, it's announced you're doing Ghostbusters. So by then, were the wheels basically, you were basically there. Like, did you have the script where you, when you were in that mode? Because it's funny to, I listen back to our conversation and a lot of our chat is about like 80s movies. Like, I think you were like, it seems like you were really marinating and germinating in that. I was writing Ghostbusters during Tully and the frontrunner. Yeah. So I really was just

lying to your face. That's okay. Look, at least a good, a great movie came out of it. So I forgive you. I am not making the next Star Wars film. Now, basically you just admitted you're making the next Star Wars movie. Okay, good to know. So what did you say your dad got emotional talk to me a little bit about, you know, this is a movie about a family and your family was very much present at the New York Comic-Con screening. Your dad is, of course, a producer, and you worked with him before. Talk to me about, you know, working with your dad. And not only you talked about, you know,

and I think you were not being facetious about how your dad was literally, like, next to you on set during this. No, that wasn't an exaggeration. I mean, literally, director's chair to director's chair. And, you know, like, imagine if your parents came to your work, and like weighed in on everything you were doing. I mean, they're saying charming and lovely about it. My mom is right out of the shot right here.

She's watching me right now. Give me the thumbs up. And how does she think you're doing? Whole thumbs down. Boom. Your mom, my dad would get along. No, my dad was really proud of me. And he would just weigh in on stuff.

You know, he's a director. He can't help himself. You know, I'm the same way. And, you know, when I produce, I try to kind of just put wind into my director's sales. But I know better than to give them thoughts. because I know if I start, I won't be able to stop. And my father and I, we would talk about things,

but it was also really cool because there was like a day where we, you know, we were trying to get the slime color right. And we were on set and we had different buckets of slime, and my father walked right up and went that one. And it was like, there it is, folks, you know. Right. He's the expert. And he would give, you would tell me advice like about wind, you know,

that Ghostbusters, the original film, it's filled with wind. That's how they identified the presence of ghosts. It's you see people's hair going. shirt going, trees going. And so off of his advice, we had a truck that had everything from a leaf blower to a six foot ritter. And we were constantly experimenting with wind. So it's all this technique and, and frankly, he just makes me a better director. Yeah. Is there, I mean, you know this movie backwards and forwards. I know this movie backwards or forth. Like this is the movie that everyone can quote that know the original. I mean, of course, they know backwards and forwards. That

being said, I assume when you delve into something like this, you go back, you look at it again, maybe with a new perspective, with like a forensic analysis of like what makes a Ghostbusters movie work. So what did you discover when you kind of went back for the 50th time, but this time knowing you were going to be actually directing a Ghostbusters movie? I mean, like, I don't want to bore you because it's a long, I mean, it was everything, you know, we were trying to, I'll say this. everyone who worked on Ghostbusters Afterlife was a Ghostbusters fan so once we start opening this up to every department

you have Will Files our sound designer who worked on Force Awakens he opened up the mix from the original Ghostbusters and was able to find the original proton pack sound the original PKE meter sound the original Ecto 1 siren we have all those original sounds in there our composer Rob Simonson

not only went into Elmer Bernstein's original you know, music sheets, but found the mic plot for how they recorded the orchestra for the original Ghostbusters. We've got Harold Ramis's proton pack out of storage from Sony. We Lydard scanned it, built our ghost pack, you know, our proton packs based on that. Our wardrobe supervisor, our costume designer, Danny Glicker, found the original white material that they made the ghosts from the patch on the flight suit. And there was only a little bit less. left. And so all our ghosts on our flight suits were from the same material that made the original ones back in 84. I mean, I can go on and on and on about the level of detail,

the archaeological detail to get things right. We also went back and got the original dailies. We went to the salt mine and got the dailies from 84 out and started scanning old cloud tank footage, scanning original dailies that wound up in this film, found the footage of my mom, my sister and I that got cut out of the film at 84, put it back into this one. And we were talking about Indiana Jones. I mean, literally we were doing archaeological work. And what about from a thematic standpoint? Because like so much of that,

there's so much you could decipher from that first film of what works. And one of the things that I would think was scary when you're doing something like this is like you could owe a lot of the first film success to the camaraderie of that cast, to that that chemistry, what Bill does, what the entire cast does. You obviously, without room anything,

don't have that entirely in this. That's not what this film rests on. So is that a scary proposition? Are you lean on other aspects of the first film that you know worked? Or is it just about casting the hell out of it and just finding the genius people like McKenna, et cetera, that make it work this time? I knew from the beginning that I was not going to be able to make a movie

about those original guys. And frankly, that's not what interested me. What interested me was the rest of us who want to be those original guys. And that's what I made a movie about. It's about wanting to be a Ghostbuster. because all of us identify that. All of us identify with wanting to put on the proton pack and fire it. All of us identify with wanting to drive Ecto1 and catch a ghost.

So I made a movie about young people who find out that they are Ghostbusters. They're born into it. You know, it's no accident that my father is a Ghostbuster, and I made a movie about the grandchildren of Ghostbusters and what that legacy feels like. But more than anything, I wanted the audience to see themselves on screen. I wanted them to feel like this is what, it's like to want to be a ghostbuster to get it because ghostbusters whoever they are what's the

original guys our team uh or paul figs cast they have always been outsiders who find their way into ghost bus who find their way into heroism through ghostbusting i'm sure you're looking forward to i mean one of the dreams of something like this i mean there were plenty of juno outfits at halloween for years and they still are yeah um you could imagine mckenna the character mckenna plays in this hopefully i think it will judging from the reaction to the audience is going to make a huge huge impact on young women in particular um i'm looking forward to the juno ghostbusters crossover the mashup i'm working on in my yeah on my womb right now uh orange stripes and a and a wand uh yeah look again i was a ghostbuster for hollinois the idea that there might be our

as Halloween characters. The whole thrill of doing a huge movie like this is you speak to the world. It's an ability to kind of touch popular culture. And I get that this is not my movie. It is not my franchise. I am merely picking it up for a moment. And that's how all of us felt.

All of us felt like this thing exists in the hearts of others now. We're simply going to pick it up for a moment, dust it off, set it back down, for the next person to pick it up. this film in among other things is a real tribute to harold ramus who is obviously so important to the original ghostbusters and it's just comedy and great filmmaking did you have much of relationship growing up like did you like spend time with harold and when you endeavor on this film again without ruining anything i would imagine maybe you have to have some conversations with his family and get their get their yeah i mean this is a movie that i made for my father and my daughter and i made it for the ramesses and i wasn't going to make it unless the Ramos family was on board. My father was the first person who read the script. And then after that, it was Erica Ramos. It was their kids. It was

Violet Ramos, who, you know, I grew up on the set of Ghostbusters with. I didn't really know Harold Ramos that well. Obviously, I met him a bunch of times. But my relationship is with his work like everybody else. My relationship is with his work as a second city comedian who is one of kind of the founders of 1970s comedy who created Stripes and Animal House and Ghostbusters

and then directed, obviously, you know, vacation and Groundhog Day. And even all the way up to like, you know, acting, you know, in the Judd-Apital film, you know, he feels like family. But I think he feels like family to all of us. Right.

And there was just this kind of brilliant kindness to him. Everyone's got a favorite Ghostbuster in the way that everyone's got a favorite Beatle. And mine was always Egon Spengler. So I really wanted to make a Spengler story. It's interesting because, you know, as you alluded to the outside of this conversation,

as we discussed, kind of like the joke about like, when's Jason going to do it? Does it even make sense? Is it going to just be two people talking about it? There has always been this curiosity, especially since the announcement. Why isn't anyone bugging Sophia Coppola about making a Godfather movie? Come on. Why is this all on me?

I'll start. I'd like to... Can we get into that already? Actually, you know what? I would want to see. I would love to see Sophia Coppola's... The conversation. Sure, yeah. Right? Yeah. Yeah.

Don't divert the focus from yourself. No, this is about you today. What was I going to say? I was going to say... Oh, I know. So, okay, the Jason Wrightman version of a Ghostbusters movie. One of the intriguing things I noticed is you didn't necessarily, like, hire the entire crew from Star Wars on this. Like, maybe you know what I mean? You might have picked and chose some people to help with certain aspects that you weren't familiar with.

But a lot of this core group are the same people you've been making movies with virtually from the start. Was that something that you knew immediately? Or was there a temptation to be like, let's just farm in, like, the freaking Chris Nolan crew? I need like big time. I got a family of people that I make movies with and I trust them implicitly. They're brilliant artists, you know, everyone from Eric Stilberg, you know, my cinematographer, Steve Morrow, my, you know, my production sound, Jason Blumenfeld, my first AD producer, Danny Glicker, my costume.

I mean, I've been working with the same group for a long time. Rob Simonson, the composer of my last two movies. It's not that any of us had done this before, but we all shared the same affection for Ghostbusters. And that's what it was about. It wasn't about, you know, had you made a Ghostbuster film before, none of us had. The idea was, do you care about it? Are you passionate about it? You know, do you want to get this right?

Do you want to see it as told through your eyes and hands? And whether it was someone that had worked with, you know, 10 times, or someone like the creature creator, Arion, you know, who did Pan's Labyrinth and like and brought the Terodogues back to life, you know. Or the puppeteer who worked on Jurassic Park, you know, doing the T-Rex. leg who did the leg of the terror dog for our film. It's about just loving movies, frankly, because that's what we're channeling through. What are the first on this experience that stand out for you? Because there are things that you've never done clearly as a director in this,

whether it's car chases or probably working on soundstages, et cetera. First, happy ending. No, no. Um, no, uh, definitely. Honestly, the first one you brought up hits the nail. I've always wanted to do a car chase. I love car chases. And people make fun of them, but they're great. And, uh, when I thought about, honestly, like, speeder bikes, you know, return to the Jedi. Yeah. I mean, that's what I thought about. And when McKenna is hanging out the side of Ekdl 1 flying around corners, that's what I wanted to feel like. Because when I was a kid, I wanted to be on Endor. I wanted to know what it was like to ride a speeder bike. Right. It's like that edge of control.

You're kind of in control, but you're almost about to fly off of it. Exactly. And it's all just flying. You're completely vulnerable. I mean, it's just, like, you know, I don't know who's handling safety protocol for the empire, but speeder bikes look really dangerous.

High fatality rate on this. Yes, seriously. And, um, uh, and I wanted to move. they felt like that. I wanted to put these young people at the edge of danger and make them do something really thrilling. So any young person in the audience would watch them and go, I want to sit on that chair. I want to hang out the side of Acta One and Catch a Ghost. How aware were you,

there's this term that used more and more for these kind of legacy sequels, whatever we call this kind of the subgenre of film of like fan service, right? I mean, this is a fans movie. This is for anyone that grew up with Ghostbusters. I think it's for somebody that could probably this is their first Ghostbusters movie. I'm sure it'll work too. But there is a lot in here to like applaud and get excited about if you've grown up with Ghostbusters.

Is that something that, I mean, obviously it's on your mind. You want to kind of make the fans happy. And I don't mean that isn't a nefarious thing. But like, is that something where you're like, how much to put in? Like how many nods in a row and how to space them?

You know what I mean? Is that something that you're cognizant of in the making of this? I mean, the funny thing is this. It's a really sneaky movie because it really is one of my movies hiding inside a Ghostbuster's film. It's a movie about a single mom and her two kids

trying to fix her relationship with her dad. I mean, that's what the movie is about. And in that sense, it's a 100% me movie and it's dealing with human drama. And I bring that up because everyone can relate to that. Everyone knows what it's like to struggle to talk to your parents or your kids. Everyone knows what it's like to have

longstanding grudges that you want to fix, knowing one, wanting to get closer to someone that you can't talk to anymore. That's what this movie really is about. Yeah. So I feel like that is the way in. Now, in addition to that, it is a Ghostbusters movie through and through

whether you've seen Ghostbusters 100 times or it's your first time in. It's about finding this stuff. You know? Yeah. It's about finding this gear and in that moment discovering who you are. It's about being put on an adventure by the discovery.

And at that point, we layer in so much Ghostbusters. Josh, there are Easter eggs I don't know about. I say that because I'm not the only one who's hiding them. Right. Everybody's hiding them. The sound designer is revealing to me on the mixed stage. Oh, by the way, I put that sound in there from this scene. I'm like, no kidding.

Were you going to tell me about that? You know, it's set deck and props people hiding things in the background of the scenes. There is a level of Easter eggs. that just no one is ever going to find in this movie. You know, favorites of mine, there is a straightened slinky, because Egon, of course, as a kid, got half a slinky and straightened it. There is the ghost sniffer, Vankman's ghost sniffer from, you know, the first film. These are all just hiding in the background in places.

So you can go frame by frame through this movie. You're just going to keep on finding stuff. Is it a coincidence that this movie happens in arguably one of the the darkest spirits of our human existence the last few decades. It's like, did you need this kind of to make yourself happy in a way? It's a great question. I, like, again, I came at this from such a personal point of view. This is a movie about a family reckoning with their legacy,

and it's made by a director reckoning with his legacy. That's what I needed to do. Right. now, you know, I think it's a great time for popcorn films. It's a great time for big entertainment. I've been dying to get back to the movies when I finally got back and I got to see Shang Chi on the big screen. It's like one of my favorite experiences all year.

Totally. Cannot wait to see James Bond. Cannot wait to see everything that's waiting for this at the end of the year. I can't, you know, I love Shang-Chi. I love Zola. Like, I loved every big screen experience I got this year. I feel like I appreciate them more I don't know like if that sounds cheesy or whatever

Oh my God, yes Don't you think? You're eating the popcorn and the trailers are playing And you feel like oh, that's right That's why I hid in a movie theater My entire childhood It's the safest most wonderful place on earth It's like Disneyland

And look I love streaming As much as everybody else Like it got me through the pandemic Yeah But what I wanted to get back to Was being back in a movie theater So with all the nods to the past film films perhaps, and this is why I bring it up. I don't know if you remember

what is hanging in my office still. I haven't been back there in 18 months, but I have a Vigo the Carpathian poster in my office to intimidate my foes. Yes, I remember this. No Vigo love in this. I mean, we couldn't give him a nod. We couldn't. Look, it's one movie in a huge mythology. But honestly, I wanted a movie that set the table for the future of Ghostbusters. and it was an opportunity to connect the generations, put a new movie out for young people to embrace this kind of young cast, and every culture in the world has a relationship

with ghosts in the unknown. I would love to see Ghostbusters movies from those different cultures. I'd love to see Ghostbusters movies from all my favorite filmmakers. There is a lot of time and opportunity for Vigo the Carpathian to make his return. Are you saying there's going to be a Yannosh Disney Plus series or whatever Sony's streaming service?

I don't know how Yonish is doing. I put my money on Vigo more than Yonish because look, are you saying that's the only painting of Vigo the Carpathian? Maybe he's riding a horse in another one, you know? Maybe he's actually impaling somebody in another one. Maybe it's like Harry Potter. Can he go from like painting to painting? Wouldn't that be great? If Vigo just showed up and like starry night?

Was there a temptation to reprise your role as Brownstone Boy No. 2 from Ghostbusters 2 in the film? Oh, my God. Of all the things, you got a bigger chance at Janus than you got at Brownstone Boy number two showing up again. Can you name drop? Who in your mind's eye would be an amazing filmmaker you'd like to see take on a Ghostbusters story? I mean, I could, but I don't because I don't want to jinx it because I actually do believe in this idea. Like, I really would love my favorite filmmakers. And I don't want to dream. too big. I think that it's an incredible mythology. We all have a relationship with the unknown. And look, we're not all born looking like Thor and Wonder Woman. We're not all born with superpowers. What's great about this franchise, it's about everyone who can put on a flight

suit, and that's everybody. And I'd love to see more movies that take place in Ghostbusters, as directed by all kinds of filmmakers. And what's your future, whether as someone like your dad that helps produce or someone that could potentially direct more films like is there more story charted out for these characters that you yourself would want to I have ideas I mean look

two nights ago we played Comic Con I want to know about all the sequels a month before the movie even comes out Jason I don't know why that's an unreasonable request I played my first Comic Con as a director and that was a crazy experience for me

and mostly because it felt like being at Sundance and I didn't expect that it's still passion it's still just people that love movies yeah and honestly maybe I'm slow maybe I'm late to the table but that was a big moment for me because that was the moment I went

oh I can make Sundance movies and can make Comic-Con movies and connect with people that I love. I was going to say, does this open the aperture of your career for you? I mean, you've kind of like been in this really cool lane for 15.

I don't know how many times I have to tell you I'm not directing the next Star Wars movie. Jesus. Gentleman does protest too much people. What's going? What's happening? Kathleen Kennedy's like, what the fuck is you talking?

We get it. You wanted to direct a Star Wars movie, Jason. All right. Awkward. But it must give you confidence that, like, you know, you knew you could do a type of movie. And now you're getting some really great feedback on this. You know you can do this kind of a movie, too,

that plays the four quadrants, et cetera, blah, blah, all the business speak we want. Does it excite you as like in a new phase? Like, yeah, you know what? Five years ago, if you had asked me, do I want a Marvel or DC meeting? Maybe that's weird. Now, sure, I'll take that meeting.

Yeah, absolutely. Look, as long as I get to tell a personal story at the core of it, I'm interested in all stories and I grew up loving these movies and it was a real thrill to make this one and that car chase sequence at the center of the film, the mantra chase,

I literally can watch that over and over. If I'm in a movie theater and they're testing the print, I say, jump to the car chase. I want to watch that again. And I will sit and watch it like I'm watching it for the first time. Well, and now that you've like kind of

accepted your fate as someone that can wrestle with your dad's amazing legacy too. So is it kindergarten cop sequel now? Next, is the Dave sequel next? What do you tackle with from Dallas. Look, Josh, I don't want to be too offended by this, but you ask me a lot about which films I'm in the director of my father's. When have you ever asked him which films of mine he's going to remake?

At the triplets junket, I promise I will be asking about the Labor Day sequel, okay? How dare you point to my biggest failure? You get it spot up any film. What an asshole. That's why you love me. I like to pick. It's true. It is true. That is true. Let's talk about comfort movies. I ask you for some comfort movie picks, especially in the last year and a half. We've needed comfort in our lives. You've made a modern comfort movie here. You gave me a few picks. Can I at least start with the depraved one? Because that's where my mind goes. And then we'll get to the more sweet stuff. It says a lot about you. And this is, again, I think why you're awesome, that you chose a 157 minute about the most.

infamous serial killer of the 20th century. Tell us Jason Reitman, why is Zodiac comfort movie? I don't know why, but if I'm having a rough night and I can't sleep, I will pour myself a whiskey and watch Zodiac. One, it's a brilliantly made film by one of the greatest living directors. to there's kind of an inevitability to it there's just something that's part of its nature

and when I'm spiraling and I can't find my way through something to spend three hours with Jake Gyllenhaal whose character can't seem to learn the lesson that he's never going to catch this guy spoilerly that's how you're doing

you're supposed to say it after right You give away Rosebud was a swad, spoiler alert. And then you say spoiler, right? Yep, yep, yep. I'm learning as I go here. There's a rhythm to it. There's a mood to it.

I kind of get lost in it. And it's curious, right? Because I know a lot of people when they say, you know, what is your comfort movie? And they bring up really joyful movies. And there's lots of really joyful movies that I want to watch like when I'm in a good mood.

Like, if I'm in a good mood, Yeah, like, I want to watch E.T. And I want to watch Ferris Bueller and I want to watch, you know, Raiders and Star Wars. And I want to watch also, you know, movies like my favorites, like, you know, shampoo and carnal knowledge. I got, you know, I got a hundred movies that I love. But when I think comfort movie, I think, all right, what do you reach for, like you reach for the whiskey? And Zodiac is a movie that just has this brilliant tonal line that it never breaks.

It's so confident, and it just kind of lulls me over time watching these characters, you know, who are obsessives. I'm an obsessive. So to watch other obsessives, I don't know. There's something about it. No, you hit the nail on the head for me, too. I mean, I actually find virtually all of David Fincher's work comforting in a bizarre way. I think ironically, the only one that I don't think of that way is like Benjamin Button, which is arguably his kind of least dark film. But there is something very reassuring about such a confident filmmaker that just draws you in.

And you're right, this is a movie about obsession, and you find yourself like you're one of the crazies with them. You're like, you're part of the case too. And it's just... You lose a sense of time, right? Because you don't even know what year you're in at a certain point. But you're right about that, about all his films. I mean, like, here's a guy who famously, like, I don't know if you notice this, do this, but he steadies every shot. You know how you can stabilize a shot in post?

Sure. He stabilizes every shot. And that is why his films have that perfectly locked feeling to them. I work with some of his team on my films. And there's a shot in Zodiac, which is like some absurd, like 400-foot Dolly track move. And they took this product great stuff that they use for insulation and houses, which is like basically cement in a can.

and they put great stuff on 400 feet of Dolly track to make sure that the Dolly track just wouldn't move a hair after they set it, which destroyed the Dolly track. I mean, yeah, that's for that long driving track where they're going through, like, you know, and he does that on all of his movies. Even the music, if you think about the music

that he works, it has that rhythmic lull to it, that it just, like, It's just kind of slowly coming for you. I mean, it's part of the genius of what he does. But it is. It's like being on a bicyclist, I don't know. Is there a favorite scene that jumps out? I mean, there's...

In Zodiac? Yeah. I mean, the scariest scene in that movie is the picnic scene. Yeah. It's brilliant. It's a Hitchcock scene. It's absolutely terrifying. Like, for me, the picnic scene in Zodiac is up there with the shower scene in Psycho.

And... I remember because it almost has, like, the least amount of bells in whistles to it. It's just sort of matter of fact. It just happens. It's just so, which is what makes it so great. I mean, look, there's a tendency for people to obsess over filmic scenes that are kind of extraordinary in their amount of layers. People love scenes that have crazy camera work and visual effects. They love scenes where the acting is at 12. Show me a scene like that picnic scene where it's just quiet. Clean film. making subtle acting absolutely terrifying and then you're showing me a director who has complete control

over the audience who can literally just turn it like he's just got a screwdriver in your brain and perhaps you know it's funny in that previous conversation we're just talking about these like intricate shots or whatever he clearly knows like the contrast between that scene and the rest of the film and perhaps that's why it stands out all the more all right so let's get let's get a little sweeter. You contain multitudes, thankfully, like all of us. I'm just remembering Sony's plea to all over. They're like, just smile.

It's not young adult. Just smile. Oh, gosh. Well, let's smile a little bit about one of the great trilogies of films ever made. I feel like they always make fun of this as like the least successful commercial trilogy ever. But it stands the test of time. You chose two of the films in the before trilogy. us why these two in particular resonate with you. Well, first I would like to, I want to talk

about Richard Linklater because Richard Linklater is a guy we talk about what we don't talk about enough. Like we don't talk about Linklater as much as we talk about Quentin. We don't talk about Linklater as much as we talk about PTA. We don't talk about Linklater as much as we talk about Wes. Richard Linklater is one of the most important filmmakers alive. Slacker gave birth to a generation of filmmakers, dazed and confused, is top three movies about high school ever made. If he had just done those two films and retired, he'd be good. Right. If he had also added School of Rock, he'd be good. If he had also added boyhood, he'd be good. And yet we're still not talking about the most important movies he ever made,

in my opinion. Before sunrise and before sunset often get overlooked, I think because they're romantic. And so as a result of then not being about huge cultural moments as a result of them not being epics. They don't get talked about in that same conversation, but they are epic. In those three movies, he has followed the trajectory of love in a way that almost no other filmmaker has and done so in this way that mirrors the sloppy way in which we fall in love. That first movie in which you watch two people fall in love over the course of the night is the most accurate meet cute of all time. The hardest thing the right, meet cute. And these two people were perfectly played by Ethan Hawk and Julie Delpy.

They're embarrassing. They are cringy. They are wonderful. And they are deeply in love. And by the end of it, it hurts the heart how much you want them to be together. I want to fall in love like that every day of my life. And the fact that it leaves you wanting so much more and that nine years later you were able to get it in before sunset in what is the perfect film in that series, which has one of the best closing lines in cinema history. You drop me into that film and I'm a happy person. So I'm not all Zoviac. It's interesting. I mean, those films stand out for so many reasons.

And I think one of the reasons they work is the close relationship. between the actors and the filmmaker, Ethan and Julie were credited. Apparently they were screenwriters in the first one. They just weren't accredited, but they were credited in the other two films as well. They were Oscar nominated for the second film. That's something that, I mean, you've used a company of actors throughout much of your films. There's one in particular that pops up in this that I won't reveal that made me so happy to see. Thank you. Thank you. I know what you're talking about. Thank you.

Um, what, do you, I guess, I don't know, my, my question is, except that, like, have you found what actors have enriched your work in terms of beyond just, like, showing up on set, um, in just knowing them and helping you through a process? The list is actually too hard to name. Um, obviously J.K. Simmons is a very meaningful actor to me. He is my muse. It was this moment where I, you know, just kind of realized on thank you for smoking that he spoke my voice. And I wanted everything I wrote to be said out loud by him. And I mean, I've made like 12 movies with him now.

You know, everything I've ever directed, but also, you know, Whiplash, I remember talking to Damien and being like, it's gotta be J.K. Simmons. And that was like really my one thing I did on Whiplash was be like, it's gotta be J.K. Simmons. And pretty good note. And then,

You know, Jennifer's body, and I love that man. And he is kind of like a second father or an older brother. Charlie Staron, you know, I feel linked with her to life because of young adult and Talia. I hope we make a lot more movies. George Clooney, as much the filmmaker as the actor, because when I worked with them as an actor, he also had an impact on me as a director because he was an Oscar nominated director and loves filmmaking as much as any actor or director I've ever met. Grew up around the camera and all he wants to do is talk about

technique and shots and what a set is supposed to feel like. You know, Caitlin Dever is a young actress, you know, who I worked with on men, women, and children and did music on Tully and appeared in, you know, the frontrunner and watching her kind of grow into what could possibly like be Meryl Streep. She's so brilliant. Has had an impact on my heart. and look I love the actors in this new movie

yeah McKenna if people haven't seen her in previous work just like seeing her on the panel versus what she is in this film it's obviously a transformation for her that she's it's a true performance I know right because like in person she's just like the most delightful effervescent young woman and he also is a very also a very contained character McKenna Grace is a a just a huge talent in the making and it's crazy because she's only 15 years old

she just got nominated for an Emmy and she's been in so many things already Finn Wolfhard also in love with filmmaking we talk every day about writers, directors you wrote a whole movie while we were making Ghostbusters and these new kids kids Celeste is not a kid and I'm getting old like Celeste O'Connor and Logan Kim

you know people probably don't know they're going to fall in love with them Logan Kim's literally never done a movie before. Have you suggested to your buddy Diablo, what's the Diablo Cody Ghostbusters story? I'd watch that. I mean, if you don't think that I haven't had this conversation with her. I'm sure you have, of course. You don't know our relationship well enough.

Yeah, of course I've had. I'd love to see a Diablo Cody Ghostbusters movie. She's one of the best storytellers alive. And, you know, we've made four movies together, and I would love to make a fifth. And lastly, before you go, before I go, before I release you to the wild, I'm curious, like, you mentioned this earlier, we discussed about how this obviously works for Ghostbusters fans. And I think, I mean, I'm, I'm just curious, like, how it plays to a non, someone that is new to Ghostbusters. Did you show this to people that just had never seen Ghostbusters before, just out of curiosity to see how it played? Yeah, you know, we had to wait a long time to test this movie.

And when we eventually tested the movie, we showed it to an audience. Half the audience had never seen the original Ghostbusters, which I thought was kind of wild because, like, in my head, I'm like, hasn't everyone seen Ghostbusters? But look, there's a lot of young people who have never seen it. And it actually tested higher with them. This is a movie about a family discovering who they are, where they come from, and where they're going.

Everyone understands what that's like. And the way that this young girl discovers the pack, where the way this teenage boy discovers the car, it is a road into this movie. And it was really kind of built that way. I mean it when I say whether, you know, you've seen the original 1,000 times or whether this is your first step into the Ghostbusters universe. This movie is waiting for you with open arms. A true heartfelt congratulations to you, sir.

One of the joys of doing what I've done for the 3,000 years I've been doing is get to talk to people at different stages of their career and see how they evolve. And it's so cool to me that we've talked about every manner of film and that here we are now talking full circle about Ghostbusters, about U.S. your Ghostbusters movie, and I hope you're breathing aside of relief and ready to enjoy the spoils of releasing something like this that will clearly be a big cultural moment. That's huge. That's rare, and it's exciting. I'm simultaneously thrilled to be seeing this in theaters and intimidated by the prospect of making that Star Wars.

Oh, shit. No. How did the Walter Peck spin off? That's my other pitch. I've made my Ghostbusters movie. Now it's like, you know. I don't know. Who's the Star Wars character?

Come on, let's flesh us out. What do you got? What Star Wars character would it be? All right. The Star Wars character, it's the Dead Ewok. There's my Zodiac friend. There he is. He's back.

Wow. Congratulations again, man. Always a pleasure to catch up with you, and hopefully I'll see you soon. Yeah, indeed. It's great seeing you next time in person. And so ends another edition of happy, sad, confused. Remember to review, rate, and subscribe to this show on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm a big podcast person. I'm Daisy Ridley, and I definitely wasn't pressured to do this by Josh. Goodbye. Summer movies, Hello, Fall. I'm Anthony Devaney. And I'm his twin brother, James. We host Raiders of the Lost Podcast, the Ultimate Movie Podcast, and we are ecstatic to break down late summer and early fall releases.

We have Leonardo DiCaprio leading a revolution in one battle after another, Timothy Chalmay playing power ping pong in Marty Supreme. Let's not forget Emma Stone and Jorgos Lanthamos' Bagonia. Dwayne Johnson's coming for that Oscar in The Smashing Machine, Spike Lee and Denzel teaming up again, plus Daniel DeLuis's return from retirement. There will be plenty of blockbusters to chat about two. Tron Aries looks exceptional, plus Mortal Kombat 2, and Edgar writes,

The Running Man starring Glenn Powell. Search for Raiders of the Lost podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.