Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire's "For Ivan" Dedication Explained

The final moments of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire features a sweet tribute to Ivan Reitman, which is a fitting farewell to the legendary director. For most of its run-time, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has fun bringing back characters and locations from the original Ghostbusters movies to interact with the next generation of the franchise. This includes a few key tributes to past characters and concepts, bringing back much of the original surviving cast for certain moments.

However, the sweetest tribute to the history of the series comes towards the end of the film, and takes on multiple additional meanings. Instead of just being a chance to highlight the franchise's past and future, the ending of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire also includes a sweet note that explains the film was "For Ivan." This is a reference to one of the creatives who was responsible for the original Ghostbusters, and whose impact on the franchise has been felt for decades.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Is Dedicated To Original Franchise Creator Ivan Reitman

Ivan Reitman Directed Ghostbusters In 1984

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is dedicated to Ivan Reitman, who was a crucial figure in the history of the franchise and passed away before this film was produced. Along with directing films like Stripes, Kindergarten Cop, and Evolution, Reitman was perhaps best known as the director behind Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II. Although the original idea for Ghostbusters originated from Dan Aykroyd, his first pick for director was always Reitman. By then an established producer and director, Reitman was instrumental in the classic comedy that eventually came to be.

Aykroyd's original idea for Ghostbusters was a far larger project that would have transcended time and space — and in Reitman's view, would have cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make. It was Reitman who convinced him to set Ghostbusters in New York City and to refine the film's tone to be comedic. Reitman was also crucial to getting Columbia Pictures to produce the film. Reitman's influence on Ghostbusters can be felt decades later, as the grounded approach to the supernatural remains a core element of the series.

Ivan Reitman Died Months After Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Reitman Died On February 12, 2022

Ivan Reitman remained a presence in the Ghostbusters franchise for decades, but sadly never got to see the most entry in the series. He directed the second film in the series and was a producer on the 2016 Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones-led Ghostbusters. Ivan Reitman was also a producer on Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Paralleling that film's themes of a new generation of Ghostbusters stepping up, the film was directed and co-written by Ivan Reitman's son, Jason (who directed films like Juno and Up in the Air.) Ivan even appeared in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, albeit as someone else.

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Following the death of writer and Egon Spengler's performer Harold Ramis, Ivan served as the motion capture subject for Egon's good ghost form in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Reitman got to see the results of his work on Ghostbusters: Afterlife but passed away the following year. This prompted the filmmakers to include a tribute to the late filmmaker ahead of the credits of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. This is similar to how Ghostbusters: Afterlife ended with a dedication "For Harold." It's a bittersweet but fitting way to end Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, considering the film's final moments.

Ivan Reitman Loved The Pitch For Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Reitman Read The Full Outline Before He Died

Although Ivan Reitman passed away before he could see Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, he was aware of the plans for the film and reportedly approved of them. During an interview with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire director Gil Kenan for The Hollywood Reporter, Kenan revealed that he and Jason Reitman — who co-wrote the film — had shared a nearly complete version of the film's outline with Ivan. Ivan Reitman reportedly enjoyed the pitch, with his support for the concept helping the pair as they wrote the script for the film.

Ivan's passion for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a sweet element of the film, given the way the movie juggles a deep appreciation for the original movie while still charting a path forward for its next generation. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire features plenty of cameos and actors from previous films, reflecting the franchise's legacy. However, the movie also highlights the importance of legacy and a younger generation of characters like Phoebe Spengler coming into their own. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ending with a tribute to "For Ivan" is a sweet gesture and a fitting goodbye for the filmmaker.

Jason Reitman Is Helping To Carry On The Family Legacy In Ghostbusters

Reitman Is Working More In Ivan Reitman's Wheelhouse

Jason Reitman has worked hard to continue his father's legacy. The younger Reitman started his filmmaking career by working away from his father's legacy. He directed award-caliber movies like Thank You For Smoking, Juno, Jennifer's Body, and Up in the Air. However, things changed in 2021, which was the year that he co-wrote Ghostbusters: Afterlife and directed the movie to reboot the franchise. With Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, he returned as a co-writer and produced it, while stepping aside as the director.

What is interesting is that his follow-up 2024 movie, Saturday Night, tells the story of Saturday Night Live and several people that his father worked with heavily, including Bill Murray, Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, and more. It is an intriguing choice because he gets to cast new actors in the roles of stars that he grew up around, as well as a few that he has worked with on the Ghostbusters franchise in recent years. With Ghostbusters and the new SNL movie, Jason Reitman is carrying on his dad Ivan Reitman's legacy into the future.

What The Ghostbusters Cast & Crew Said About Paying Tribute To Ivan

The dedication to Ivan Reitman on Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a reminder of the legacy of the franchise as well as the connection shared between many of the people involved with the movies. Along with Jason Reitman being the son of the original director, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd were close friends with Ivan for decades. Before making Ghostbusters, Reitman and Murray had already collaborated twice on Meatballs and Stripes. Upon his death, Aykroyd shared (via Deadline):

“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?”

In crafting the first movie since his death, the tribute to Ivan Reitman seemed to be a fitting inclusion and one that was personally important for Jason Reitman. He remarked about how the memory of his father was all over the creation of this new movie which led to the special dedication (via Entertainment Tonight):

"I was thinking of my father every day. But he was with us. My father passed the proton pack to me and now I'm thrilled to pass it to Gil Kenan."

For Murray, honoring Ivan Reitman in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire simply meant making a movie that was worthy of the franchise that Reitman helped to build in the first place (via Associated Press):

The most we can do is to make a good movie that's funny. A really funny, good movie that people are going to love to come to, I think. I think we did.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire continues the story of a new generation of ghost hunters composed of Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Podcast (Logan Kim), who received help from the original team in the previous movie. Paul Rudd returns as Gary Grooberson and franchise co-creator Ivan Reitman returns to write and produce.

Director Gil Kenan

Writers Jason Reitman , Gil Kenan

Release Date March 22, 2024

Runtime 115 Minutes