Director Jason Reitman says his controversial Ghostbusters comments 'came out wrong'

Director Jason Reitman says some recent comments of his, which set off a firestorm Wednesday, simply came out the wrong way.

Reitman said in a podcast interview that his upcoming reboot of Ghostbusters will "hand the movie back to the fans." This drew instant derision on Twitter, as his statement made it sound like the 2016 all-female reboot had taken the series away from devotees, or that the misogynistic trolls who were so violently opposed to it were the true fans.

The director has now taken to Twitter to clarify that he has "nothing but admiration" for the 2016 reboot.

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Reitman's "back to the fans" comment came as he was discussing ways of recreating the style of the original film, such as using the 1984 movie's score and logo for the recent teaser. He said the 2020 version will be a "love letter" to the original.

This upcoming Ghostbusterswill ignore the 2016 version, as it takes place in the universe of the first two films. Reitman previously expressed his admiration for the 2016 reboot and explained that it won't be factored into his movie simply because he wants it to be a sequel to the originals. But the decision has sparked criticism, including from actress Leslie Jones, who has called the movie "so insulting" and "like something Trump would do."

Reitman's Ghostbusters hits theaters on July 10, 2020.