Losing Ivan Reitman: A Mighty Loss to the Schwarzenegger Universe
Randy JenningsIt’s been almost a week ago since we’ve learned of the passing of Ivan Reitman, the man who helped show the world Arnold has cariama, charm and humor. Before Ivan, people who were only exposed to Arnold’s mainstream film knew of the Austrian muscle man as a Barbarian, Terminator and action hero but once Twins was released in 1988, Arnold was able to show his more vulnerable side, which led to an even bigger fan base. Ivan Reitman might be most famous for directing Ghostbusters but we Schwarzenegger fans know him best for his huge comedic contributions of Twins, Junior, Dave and my favorite Arnold comedy: Kindergarten Cop.
Twins 2: Triplets was set to film later this year with Ivan directing. The script is finally done and camera’s were set to roll after Arnold’s spy-thriller Netflix series. Now that Ivan has sadly passed, it is unknown if Triplets will ever be made but Arnold shared in his recent newsletter that there might still be a chance and he would share more details soon. I am unsure of the cause of Ivan’s death but it is possible that Ivan shared with Arnold of his ill condition and Ivan possibly spoke of replacement directors. Arnold will give the fans an update when the time is right.
Reitman died on Saturday, the day before Arnold’s Zeus commercial aired on the Super Bowl, although the news was not leaked until Sunday. He was 75. Ivan also produced such great movies as “National Lampoon’s Animal House” and “Stripes.”
Finally, I’ll share a personal story. Not many people know that I was directed by Ivan Reitman (but only for a few seconds). In the film Junior, I was an extra and played a film camera man towards the film’s climatic ending. There were a few of us camera men and Ivan came over to me and asked me if I was comfortable holding the large camera. He then directed us on how to flick on our camera lights and turn our bodies with the camera for a tight up-close shot. He did a rehearsal and watched us. “No,” he started, “do it like this guy. Good job” Ivan was saying that I did the movement right and the other guys should do it my way. The shooting that night went on for hours and even though I’m only on screen for about two or three seconds with my scenes combined, at least I got to watch the master work for a very long time with several fantastic Junior co-stars.
We will miss your brilliance, Ivan but you shall survive by your family, fans and films.
Ivan Reitman: Oct. 27, 1946 - Fex 13, 2022
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