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Jason Reitman is directing a new ‘Ghostbusters’ movie

"The Front Runner" director Jason Reitman has been tapped to helm the next "Ghostbusters" movie.
“The Front Runner” director Jason Reitman has been tapped to helm the next “Ghostbusters” movie.
(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
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Jason Reitman ain’t afraid of no ghosts.

The Academy Award-nominated filmmaker confirmed on social media Tuesday that he is set to co-write and direct a new installment of “Ghostbusters.” Entertainment Weekly first reported the news.

“Finally got the keys to the car,” Reitman tweeted.

Reitman’s new “Ghostbusters” film will take place in the world established in the original 1984 movie, which was directed by his father, Ivan Reitman.

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The original “Ghostbusters” and its 1989 sequel followed Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) and their pursuits against the supernatural spirits menacing New York City.

“This is the next chapter in the original franchise. It is not a reboot. What happened in the ’80s happened in the ’80s, and this is set in the present day,” Reitman told EW. Sony has reportedly slated the film for a summer 2020 release.

A rebooted “Ghostbusters” starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon as the titular paranormal experts was released in 2016. The film was plagued by misogynistic online backlash long before it hit theaters.

Reitman’s most recent films include “The Front Runner,” which follows a rising Democratic presidential candidate’s fall from grace, and “Tully,” about the friendship that develops between a mother and her nanny.

tracy.brown@latimes.com

Twitter: @tracycbrown

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