While John Carpenter wrote, directed and produced the original Halloween, wrote and produced Halloween II, and produced Halloween III: Season of the Witch, it's been 35 years since the horror legend has been associated with the franchise. That all changes with the next installment, which Carpenter is back on board for, but there remains the question of how much involvement he has. That was recently cleared up by Blumhouse productions founder Jason Blum, who has a big hand in the upcoming film:
We don't take any big steps without his approval, so for instance hiring David [Gordon Green] and Danny [McBride] he approved. He approved their pitch, he approved their first script. He approved bringing back Jamie Lee Curtis. So anytime we make a big creative turn, he's involved with that and we don't do it without his blessing.
ComingSoon recently interviewed Jason Blum and got the skinny on what John Carpenter's full role is within the production of the new Halloween. And while Carpenter has retired as a writer/director, it seems that he is still very much a shot-caller when it comes to this new project. If there is an important move to be made with the upcoming sequel, it apparently goes across Carpenter's desk first - and thus far it seems that he has greenlit some very cool ideas.
John Carpenter is credited as a producer on the new Halloween, which is slated to come out next year. As noted by Jason Blum, the screenplay has been co-written by David Gordon Green and Danny McBride, and while all details about the story are being kept under lock and key, the project has been advertised as featuring the final confrontation between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode (once again played by Jamie Lee Curtis). Filming has not yet started on the project, but production is set to commence in the coming weeks, with Universal Pictures on board as the distributor.
It should go without saying that having John Carpenter involved with the new Halloween is only a good thing, as his years of experience and incredible vision will only be an asset to the new production. With the exception of Carpenter's contributions (Halloween III: Season of the Witch is way better than you remember), the franchise has been a mess for most of its existence, but it now it looks like it's on the verge of totally resurrecting its image.
As noted, the new Halloween is still only in pre-production, so there aren't too many details available right now. That being said, we expect that the coming weeks will be filled with all kinds of announcements regarding actors who will be joining Jamie Lee Curtis on screen, and details about the characters they will be playing, so look forward to that!
David Gordon Green's Halloween will be in theaters on October 19, 2018.
