Ghostbusters: Afterlife was one of 2021's most pleasant surprises, and unlike 2016's reboot, the vast majority of fans appear to be on board with this sequel to those iconic first two movies. The sheer amount of fan service likely helped, with two big cameos in the final act clearly striking a chord with moviegoers.
First, there was Gozer (originally played by Slavitza Jovan) and then J.K. Simmons as Ivo Shandor.
Talking to Empire Online about enlisting the Spider-Man: No Way Home star for a single, gory scene, Reitman pointed out that Simmons has appeared in all his previous movies. He also confirmed that they knew from early on Shandor would show up and promptly be torn in half by the indifferent Gozer.
"The ripping in half was a practical effect. The same guy who made the Terror Dog animatronics created a J.K. Simmons that Olivia Wilde could grab by his hair and just rip it everywhere," the filmmaker explains. "The visual effects team put together a bid for the ripping of Shandor door and I said, 'Oh no, we're doing this practical.' The team built this scissoring J.K. Simmons puppet that would rip apart, and they would just fill it with goo and then rip it apart. It was wild and amazing."
Asked about Gozer, Reitman credited two actresses with bringing the villain back to life for this latest Ghostbusters movie. "It's Olivia Wilde, but it is also Emma Portner – the movement of Gozer was brought to life by the great modern dancer Emma Portner, and the face is Olivia Wilde."
In related news, there was recently some online backlash about 2016's Ghostbusters not being included in an upcoming Blu-ray re-release of the trilogy. Now, Sony Pictures has confirmed the divisive Paul Feig movie will be part of the set, but as a Digital Code should fans want to revisit that blockbuster.
Check out our review of Ghostbusters: Afterlife by clicking here.
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