Ivan Reitman to helm 'Ghostbusters 3'

MTV Movies nabbed a great scoop today when it reported Ivan Reitman will indeed be directing Ghostbusters 3. Speculation has been mounting over Reitman's return, but he confirmed it on the red carpet for the National Board of Review event last night in New York City.

The film, which will open Summer 2011, is probably the biggest paranormal pop culture project coming up, which means it's also the one making people the most nervous. Returning to sacred ground is a risky proposition, but so far, this is looking good.

Written by The Office scribes Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, the film will supposedly include a new generation of busters led by the original team. That means Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver and Ernie Hudson will be back (though rumors of Rick Moranis returning remain just that so far).

Reitman didn't dish much on the plot, and wouldn't comment on Weaver's slip (via AICN) from December that her character Dana's son is going to be a Ghostbuster or that Murray's Venkman would be a specter.  Her goof was a pretty major plot reveal, but not necessarily a bad one.  In the hands of skilled comedians who respect the legacy of their characters, it could be a cool concept.  Then again, I thought the same thing about this.

On another note, Boxoffice Magazine makes a good point that, with Spider-Man 4 dead, Ghostbusters 3 may be Sony's big 2011 tentpole.

We'll be following the news on this, but in the meantime, check out the trailer for the video game (after the jump).  If they could make a game this good that's faithful to the franchise, then I'm fairly optimistic.