Jason Reitman

Jason R. Reitman (; born October 19, 1977) is a Canadian and American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the films Thank You for Smoking, Juno (2007), Up in the Air (2009), Young Adult (2011), Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), and Saturday Night (2024). He has received a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe, and four Academy Award nominations, two for Best Director. He is the son of director Ivan Reitman and is known for frequently collaborating with screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Gil Kenan.

Early life Reitman was born in Montreal, Quebec,

Jason Reitman's father was born in Czechoslovakia, to Jewish parents who were Holocaust survivors. His paternal grandfather ran a dry cleaner and then a car wash. When he was still a child, his family moved to Los Angeles. His father, Ivan, directed the films Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Stripes, and Kindergarten Cop.

Jason Reitman grew up on sets and has photos of himself as a baby on the set of Animal House in 1978; Such experiences showed him that making movies is "a job that people do, that it's not just this piece of magic that happens".

Reitman feels he was "a loser... a movie geek...[and] shy" as a child. In the late 1980s, he began appearing in small acting parts and serving as a production assistant on his father's films. He learned how to edit film in the editing rooms of his father's movies.

Reitman attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York and was to major in pre-med studies before transferring to the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles to major in English and creative writing. At USC, he performed with improv group Commedus Interruptus.

Film career Reitman began making short films while at USC. Although the first of the projects eventually became Up in the Air, the second project has not come to fruition.

His second film, Juno, generated great buzz after it premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in December 2007. It was Roger Ebert's favorite film of 2007 and received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Elliot Page's performance as the title character, Diablo Cody's original screenplay, and Reitman himself for Best Director. Reitman did win other awards for his work on Juno, including Best Director at the 2008 Canadian Comedy Awards. The film grossed over $140 million at the U.S. box office, making it the largest success of Reitman's career and more successful than any of his father's films since Kindergarten Cop. Brad Silberling was originally attached to direct the film, but he dropped out over casting differences. Reitman was in the middle of writing a screenplay when he came on board to direct Juno and, at one point, he expressed intent to finish writing and to direct this screenplay.

In March 2006, Reitman formed the production company "Hard C Productions" with producing partner Daniel Dubiecki. The company had an overall deal with Fox Searchlight Pictures, the company that distributed Reitman's first two films. Reitman described his production company's goal as being to produce "small subversive comedy that is independent but accessible". Reitman states that he and Dubiecki "want to make unusual films, and anything that turns a genre on its ear". Through Hard C Productions, Reitman is set to produce and direct Banzai Shadowhands, a comedy about "a once-great ninja who is now living a life of mediocrity". Shadowhands will be written by The Offices Rainn Wilson. Reitman met Wilson on the set of his father's film My Super Ex-Girlfriend, in which Wilson had a supporting role. Jennifer's Body is a horror comedy written by Diablo Cody and starring Megan Fox, about a cheerleader who is possessed by a demon and starts feeding off the boys in a Minnesota farming town. Reitman persuaded his father Ivan Reitman to purchase the book's film rights, and the elder Reitman commissioned a screenplay from Ted and Nicholas Griffin, who used some elements from Turner's script in their own work. Jason Reitman then developed his own screenplay, incorporating some of the elements from the Griffins' script that had (unbeknownst to Reitman) originated with Turner. Some of Turner's inventions that were utilized in the final film include Ryan's boilerplate termination speech ("Anyone who ever built an empire or changed the world sat where you're sitting right now..."), a key plot point involving a suicide, and the character of Ryan's partner (written by Turner as male).

Reitman initially attempted to claim sole credit for writing the film, and later admitted to being confused when the Writers Guild of America ruled that he should share credit with Turner. He and Turner later appeared at a WGA event where both said they were happy to share credit now that the course of events, and Turner's contribution to the final product, had been made clear. in an interview conducted just prior to the film's nationwide release. Sheldon Turner and Reitman's Up in the Air screenplay won the Golden Globe Award for best screenplay in 2010.

Reitman was also an executive producer of the erotic thriller Chloe, theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics on March 26, 2010. Reitman helped persuade Amanda Seyfried to star in the film. The film enjoyed commercial success and became director Atom Egoyan's biggest moneymaker ever. On January 15, 2019, Reitman announced he would be working on Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a continuation of the original Ghostbusters films directed by his father. Originally set for a June 2021, release, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the release date was pushed back to November 11, 2021. After the success of the film, both Reitman and his Ghostbusters: Afterlife co-writer and collaborator Gil Kenan formed their own production company Reitman/Kenan Productions and had signed an overall deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop more projects. Reitman was set to return to direct the sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife entitled Frozen Empire, but later was replaced by Kenan, who remains as a producer and co-writer in the film, was released in 2024.

On October 11, 2024, Reitman directed and co-wrote alongside Kenan Saturday Night, a comedy biopic about the events directly preceding the live broadcast of Saturday Night Lives first episode on October 11, 1975. Canadian comedian Dan Aykroyd was a member of that SNL cast and describes the film as a "stand alone masterpiece."

Other work

Before his feature film career began, Jason Reitman wrote and directed six short films. He financed his first short film, Operation, with money he made by selling ads in desk calendars. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998. He was a guest on The Howard Stern Show on April 10, 2008; when he was asked if he would direct Ghostbusters III and cast Howard, he said: "Do you know how many times I get asked if I want to do Ghostbusters III? Looking at my career so far, I mean, if you just looked at my two films, I would make the most boring Ghostbusters movie. It would just be people talking about ghosts, there wouldn't be any ghost-busting in it." Stern, a friend of Ivan Reitman, also revealed that he had seen Jason's early short films and was impressed enough to offer him the opportunity to direct an episode of Son of the Beach (a TV series he produced, a goofy parody of Baywatch), which Jason declined, citing that he was busy obtaining financing for Thank You for Smoking at the time.

Reitman produced and directed the 2007 holiday season commercials for Wal-Mart with advertising agency Bernstein-Rein. He has also directed ads for Burger King, Nintendo, BMW and Buick. In 2020, Reitman directed The Princess Bride, a television adaptation of novel of the same name for Quibi featuring an ensemble cast to raise money for World Central Kitchen.

Personal life Reitman is a self-described libertarian. He is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States. When Reitman was 16 and still in high school, he moved in with a woman 10 years his senior. They separated after 7 years. Their daughter, Josie, was born in 2006. After 10 years of marriage, Reitman filed for divorce in June 2011 and is divorced.

Filmography Short film Year Title Director Writer Producer Actor Role Notes 1998 Operation Woodsy Freedom Fighter 1999 H@ 2000 In God We Trust W.F.F. 2001 Gulp 2002 Uncle Sam Documentary short 2004 Consent

Feature film Year Title Director Writer Producer 2005 Thank You for Smoking 2007 Juno 2009 Up in the Air 2011 Young Adult 2013 Labor Day 2014 Men, Women & Children 2018 Tully The Front Runner 2021 Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2024 Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Saturday Night

Executive producer Chloe (2009) Ceremony (2010) Whiplash (2014) Demolition (2015) Producer Jennifer's Body (2009) Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011)Acting roles Year Title Role 1988 Twins Granger Grandson 1989 Ghostbusters II Brownstone Boy #2 1990 Kindergarten Cop Kissing Boy 1993 Dave Vice-president's Son 1997 Fathers' Day Wrong Kid in Alley

Television Year Title Notes 2007–2008 The Office Episodes "Local Ad" and "Frame Toby" 2015 Casual Also executive producer 2020 Home Movie: The Princess Bride Miniseries

Awards and nominationsAcademy Awards Year Title Category Result 2008 Juno Best Director 2010 Up in the Air Best Picture Best Director Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Awards Year Title Category Result 2010 Up in the Air Best Film Best Adapted Screenplay Golden Globe Awards Year Title Category Result 2010 Up in the Air Best Director Best Screenplay Other awards Year Award Category Title Result2005 Independent Spirit Awards Best Screenplay Thank You for Smoking Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Best Screenplay National Board of Review Best Directorial Debut Norwegian International Film Festival Audience Award San Diego Film Critics Society Best Adapted Screenplay Toronto Film Critics Association Best First Feature Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Adapted Screenplay Chicago Film Critics Association Best Adapted Screenplay Most Promising Director Online Film Critics Society Best Breakthrough Filmmaker Best Adapted Screenplay Satellite Awards Best Adapted Screenplay Writers Guild of America Best Adapted Screenplay 2007 Alpe d'Huez International Comedy Film Festival Grand Prix Juno Canadian Comedy Awards Best Direction Christopher Award Feature Films Gijón International Film Festival Special Prize of the Young Jury Grammy Award Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media Palm Springs International Film Festival Chairman's Vanguard Award Rome Film Fest Golden Marc'Aurelio Award St. Louis International Film Festival Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Stockholm Film Festival Audience Award Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award Vancouver Film Critics Circle Best Director Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Argentina Best Foreign Film Amanda Award Best Foreign Feature Film Argentinean Film Critics Association Award Best Foreign Film, Not in the Spanish Language Bodil Awards Best American Film Chicago Film Critics Association Best Director Gijón International Film Festival Best Feature Independent Spirit Awards Best Director Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Best Non-European Director Robert Award Best American Film 2009 AFI Award Movie of the Year Up in the Air Austin Film Critics Award Best Adapted Screenplay Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Adapted Screenplay Chicago Film Critics Association Best Director Best Screenplay Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Best Director Best Screenplay Florida Film Critics Circle Best Director Kansas City Film Critics Circle Best Adapted Screenplay Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Screenplay National Board of Review Best Adapted Screenplay New York Film Critics Circle Best Screenplay PEN Center USA West Literary Award Palm Springs International Film FestivalAward Director of the Year Award Phoenix Film Critics Society Award Best Adapted Screenplay San Diego Film Critics Society Award Best Adapted Screenplay Southeastern Film Critics Association Award Best Adapted Screenplay Toronto Film Critics Association Award Best Screenplay(tied with Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds) USC Scripter Award(shared with Walter Kirn) Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award Best Director Best Screenplay Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award Best Director Best Adapted Screenplay Writers Guild of America Best Adapted Screenplay Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Director David di Donatello Award Best Foreign Film Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directing – Feature film Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Best Non-European Director London Critics Circle Best Director of the Year Online Film Critics Society Award Best Adapted Screenplay Producers Guild of America Award Best Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award Robert Award Best American Film Rome Film Fest Golden Marc'Aurelio Award Satellite Award Best Adapted Screenplay Southeastern Film Critics Association Award Best Director Stockholm Film Festival Bronze Horse Award 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival Chairman's Vanguard Award(shared with Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt and Diablo Cody) Young Adult