Michael Myers is to return in a new Halloween movie, the first since 2009.
Titled Halloween Returns, the 11th film in the iconic horror franchise, will start shooting next month (July). The film’s script has been written by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, the duo who previously wrote Saw IV, Saw V and Saw VI. Dunstan will also direct.
Directed and co-written by John Carpenter, the original Halloween movie came out in 1978 and starred Donald Pleasance and Jamie Lee Curtis in her screen debut. Seven sequels followed between 1981 and 2002 before the franchise was rebooted with 2007’s Halloween and 2009’s Halloween II. According to Moviehole, who reported that a new instalment was on its way shortly before it was officially announced by Dimension Films and Trancas Films International yesterday (June 15), Halloween Returns will be a standalone film not connected to the two reboot movies. It will apparently introduce a new crop of potential victims for prolific serial killer Myers, including the now 18-year-old child of one of his previous victims.
However, these plot details have yet to be confirmed by Dimension and Trancas. “Michael Myers has taken a long break from the big screen and we know fans are eager to see him return. We are excited to be back in business with Trancas and look forward to bringing one of the scariest instalments of this classic franchise to audiences worldwide,” said Bob Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company & Dimension Films, in a statement yesterday.
“The legacy of Halloween is something that Trancas is very proud of, and I look forward to working together again with Bob and Dimension to continue that tradition,” added producer Malek Akkad, who also produced the 2007 and 2009 Halloween movies. Casting for Halloween Returns has yet to be announced.