Yes! Ivan Reitman will direct 'Ghostbusters III'

"Ghostbusters III" has a director, and guess what? It's Ivan Reitman, of course. Reitman also directed the first two films in the series, and he recently told MTV he will indeed be back to helm the third flick.

That's pretty cool news. Reitman said Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky have completed a first draft of the script, and they are currently working on a second. He didn't go into detail, but he said he's happy.

"We are working our way through another draft... good work is being done and all of us have our fingers crossed," Reitman told MTV. "I hope to start shooting in this next year." (The film may open 2011.)

Sigourney Weaver recently talked details in terms of story, but Reitman refused to talk about these 'rumors.' What we do know though is that "Ghostbusters III" will feature a bunch of younger Ghosbusters.

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'Ghostbusters III' shooting next summer?

We've read a lot about the upcoming "Ghostbusters III" recently, but details about the sequel are still quite sketchy. Harold Ramis talked about the film earlier this year, and so did Sigourney Weaver.

Now Ramis is back with more information, although some of it is not exactly new. During an interview with HEEB, the Ramis said the project is definitely moving forward and could be shooting next summer.

He said the film may open in 2011. It will feature young Ghostbusters, even though all the old guys will apparently make an appearance as well.Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky are writing the script.

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Saturday film news web roundup: Look at 'Fantastic Mr. Fox,' More pics from Barrymore's 'Whip It!'

Welcome to our Saturday film news roundup, a brief entry with short descriptions and links to film news we either missed or quite honestly didn't have time to add. Here's what you need to know on July 11, 2009:

• Earlier this week, we posted a first pic from Drew Barrymore's upcoming flick "Whip It!," starring Ellen Page as a Texas teenager who finds a way of dealing with her misery after she discovers a roller derby league in Austin. Click here and see more images from the film, which opens Oct. 9, 2009.

• The folks at Joblo posted a small first image from Wes Anderson's upcoming stop-motion flick "Fantastic Mr. Fox," featuring the voices of George Clooney Meryl Streep, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson. Check out that first still right here.

• Are you excited about this year's Comic Con? If so, make sure to check out the official schedule for the four-day event in San Diego, Calif. Check out the Thursday schedule here, and that for Friday right here. Sadly, we won't be able to attend this year, but we'll shoot for next.

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'Year One' web reviews

Jack Black and Michael Cera play two cavemen who go on a big adventure in Harold Ramis' comedy "Year One," and here is what the Web's critics have to say (read my review here):

• Joblo's Jenna Bush: "The film has very little narrative, and what there is seems to be dumped half way through."

• Cinematical's Jeffrey M. Anderson: "Black is a good reason why most of this works."

• CinemaBlend's Josh Tyler: "'Year One' has no point, no purpose really other than stick Jack Black and Michael Cera in loincloths so they can wander around in front of the camera."

• Latino Review's Ron Henriques: "I absolutely can not recommend this film, but I felt a little sad because it had some potential."

• Brad Brevet at RopeOfSilicon: "Ramis racked up the talent to give this story a run, but it never got out of the starting gate."

• Matt Goldberg at Collider: "Without any memorable humor, story, or characters, 'Year One' is a pointless endeavor and offers us nothing we haven’t seen or heard somewhere else before."

Movie Review: “Year One”

Seen on: June 17, 2009

The players: Director: Harold Ramis, Writers: Gene Stupnitsky, Lee Eisenberg, Harold Ramis, Cast: Jack Black, Michael Cera, Oliver Platt, David Cross, Hank Azaria

Facts of interest: Ramis also directed "The Ice Harvest," "Groundhog Day" and "Analyze This."

The plot: Jack Black and Michael Cera play two idiotic cavemen who are banished from their village and embark on a long voyage to dangerous places.

Our thoughts: Jack Black and Michael Cera travel back in time in Harold Ramis’ latest comedy “Year One,” but sadly enough, their big-screen journey across ancient times isn’t exactly as hilarious as it sounds. The recurrence of cheap, brainless humor and the lack of a proper story line cause plenty of damage to the plot, putting the film’s chances to score with large audiences in serious jeopardy.

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This week's new movie releases - June 19, 2009

This week, we're only looking at two wide releases: Harold Ramis' comedy "Year One" with Jack Black and Michael Cera; and Anne Fletcher's "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds:

THE PROPOSAL

Synopsis: Sandra Bullock is a Canadian immigrant who is a demanding and difficult boss. Upon discovering she's about to be deported, she rushes into a marriage of convenience with her young assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to prevent the catastrophe.

First thoughts: Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds both have the ability to deliver solid performances, and I sincerely hope "The Proposal" gave them decent material to work with. To be honest with you, I'm not quite sure what to think about this one.

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Harold Ramis gives 'Ghostbusters III' update

We've been hearing a lot of stuff about "Ghostbusters III" lately, and although the project is moving ahead for sure, many things are still a bit blurry.

The folks over at ComingSoon recently asked Harold Ramis about the third "Ghostbusters" flick, and the actor/director gave them a quick update on where things are at this stage:

"I wrote the story for the new movie with them, and Dan and I've been consulting. We're just waiting to see a first draft and where we are," he said. "Everyone says they'll do it, they've all said they'll do it."

As far as directing the sequel is concerned, Ramis said he's not sure whether Ivan Reitman or himself would want the job:

"I don't think he wants to; I'm not sure I want to (direct). It's just a lot of open questions. Until we see a script, I don't think anyone really knows how they feel about it," he said.

That's it already for the latest "Ghostbusters III" update. Head over to CS for some more from Ramis.

Sigourney Weaver set for 'Ghostbusters III'?

We all know "Ghostbusters III" is moving forward, but Dan Aykroyd recently spilled new details about the movie in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. The big news: Signourney Weaver is apparently on board, Aykroyd said. She will be joining Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson in the third "Ghostbusrters" flick.

Details about where the story is heading are still unknown at this point, but Aykroyd said he'd like to see a new generation of Ghostbusters join the old guys. "Let's revisit the old characters briefly and happily and have them there as family but let's pass it on to a new generation," he told the LA Times.

Aykroyd said he would like to see a team with female members, and two actresses he likes in particular are Alyssa Milano and Eliza Dushku. Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, the co-executive producers of "The Office," are working on the "Ghostbusters III" script, and if everything plays out well enough, the film may shoot this winter.

Read more about what Aykroyd has to say about the film right here.

Daily news dose: 'Year One' gets PG-13; Neeson, Fiennes join 'Clash of the Titans'

Here's your dose of film news for April 11, 2009:

• Harold Ramis' upcoming comedy "Year One" finally received a PG-13 rating following some cuts, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film stars Michael Cera and Jack Black as lazy hunter-gatherers banished from their village. I saw the trailer a couple of times and never laughed once, so I will walk into this one with the lowest possible expectations. It looks terrible.

• Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes are set to star in Louis Leterrier's "Clash of the Titans." Neeson plays Zeus, father of Perseus (Sam Worthington), while Fiennes is on board to portray Hades. Mads Mikkelsen, Gemma Arterton and Alexa Davalos co-star. Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay wrote the script. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• That Sony is developing "Venom" is not exactly news, but here's the current project status: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have turned in a first draft and are waiting for a response. Reese said, "Then they had specific rules about the villain and the backstory and stuff like that, so there were certain things they wanted us... certain parameters they gave us." (ComingSoon)

• During his promotion tour for Joe Wright's upcoming "The Soloist," Robert Downey Jr. also spoke a bit about "Sherlock Holmes," due in theaters this December. Besides his desire for a PG-13 rating, the actor also said he thinks they're going to make a sequel if the first one scores. Read more at MTV.

First look at Cera and Black in 'The Year One'

The folks over at /Film recently posted a first picture from Harold Ramis' upcoming comedy "The Year One," which stars Jack Black and Michael Cera. Check out the still below (via Entertainment Weekly):

In the film, Black and Cera play a couple of lazy hunter-gatherers who are banished from their primitive village and set off on an epic journey through the ancient world. Scheduled release date is June 19, 2009.

Olivia Wilde, David Cross, Oliver Platt and Hank Azaria co-star. Ramis' directing credits include "The Ice Harvest," "Groundhog Day" and "Analyze This" (and its sequel).