After Rob Zombie’s mixed bag of a reboot to the ‘Halloween‘ franchise, it looks as if Blumhouse Productions is partnering with Trancas International and Miramax to not only bring ‘Halloween’ back to the big screen but has original director John Carpenter (‘In the Mouth of Madness’,’Escape from New York’) back as an executive producer! Joining Carpenter will be Malek Akkad who has a long history with the franchise. Also back on board is Jason Blum. While Carpenter isn’t currently slated to work on writing or directing for the series we can only hope that his guiding hand will be more than an honorary title.
With his involvemen, my interest in another return to this slasher series has skyrocketed!
According to Carpenter:
“38 years after the original Halloween. I’m going to help to try to make the 10th sequel the scariest of them all.”
With this being referred to as a sequel, I really want this to be another chapter in the existing story of Michael Myers. Unfortunately that phrasing isn’t continuing for everyone as Miramax’s Zanne Devine says that:
“Malek Akkad’s legacy with the ‘Halloween’ franchise accompanied by Blumhouse’s unprecedented talent in the horror genre lays the foundation of a formidable team to create the next chapter of this iconic fan favorite. Having John Carpenter godfather the reboot of the iconic franchise he helped create brings it full circle. We couldn’t be in better company bringing ‘Halloween’ back to the big screen.”
So it does sound like we’ll be getting another new take on the character. I’m wondering if the origin story will again be revisited of if we’ll be diving right into an existing world where Myers is already an established threat.
Malek Akkad added:
“Trancas International is thrilled to be teaming up with Miramax on ‘Halloween,’ one of the most enduring horror franchises in film. We are also very excited to be working with Jason Blum and the whole team at Blumhouse. Together, along with the return of legendary filmmaker John Carpenter, we are eager to make a film that will be a milestone in the franchise’s legacy and that will excite the fans, young and old.”
Finally, Blum jumps in showing his love for the classics and excitement for the future of the series:
“Halloween’ is one of those milestone films that inspired everyone at our company to get into the world of scary movies. The great Malek Akkad and John Carpenter have a special place in the hearts of all genre fans and we are so excited that Miramax brought us together. We cannot wait to find and collaborate with the right filmmaker to give ‘Halloween’ fans the movie they deserve.”
Blum has been partially responsible for quite a few of the highest grossing horror films in recent years so it will be interesting to see what impact his studio may have on the course for this iconic slasher.
A bonus takeaway is that while not all of the details are yet in place it looks as if they are far enough along in pre-production where a 2017 release date could be feasible. Overall I am extremely excited about this news. Carpenter returning to the fold could mean a return to greatness for this classic franchise.
Are you looking forward to the next ‘Halloween’? Do you think that Carpenter’s vision will give us a bold new take on this iconic slasher? Share your thoughts below!
Sources: Deadline Hollywood, Coming Soon
Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!
