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Halloween Producer Wants William Shatner to Appear in the Franchise
The longtime producer of the Halloween movies wants William Shatner to face himself in the best possible way, and appear in the franchise. Malek Akkad would like to see the Star Trek icon meet Michael Myers, which means the actor would play opposite his own visage. Rather than an attempt at some kind of crossover event, it's Akkad's way of acknowledging Shatner's unwitting but hugely important contribution to the popular films.
It's well-known that the white mask first worn by 'The Shape' was a heavily-modified Captain Kirk mask. The product originated from a cast of Shatner's face that was used in the 1975 satanic horror film The Devil's Rain (which also featured John Travolta in an early role). With the commercial appeal of Star Trek very apparent at the time, Don Post Studios used the mold to produce Captain Kirk masks for fans of the series. Whilst looking for inspiration during the filming of John Carpenter's original Halloween in 1978, the production crew picked up one of the masks for $1.98 at a magic shop on Hollywood Blvd. Tommy Lee Wallace, the production designer on the film, set about widening the eye holes and spray painting the features until it had a scary blank expression. It provided the perfect image for the slasher legend, with the same (heavily weathered) mask being re-used in the 1981 sequel Halloween II. Over the years the features and texture of the many masks have changed in the various sequels, but the basic form of Shatner's face is still recognizable if you look for it.
With this in mind, Halloween Movies spoke to Akkad during the shooting of the David Gordon Green update, and asked if Shatner had ever contacted him about the mask:
"Not to me directly, and from what I hear he doesn’t really acknowledge it. I think he makes light of it. We actually have one of the original impressions of Shatner in our office in L.A., so obviously we’re really grateful to him, and in certain ways we’ve tried to reach out to him (to) maybe do an appearance? Lord knows he’s busy enough with Star Trek stuff…but you never know.”
Unless a cameo is being kept top secret, this obviously isn't going to happen in the 2018 sequel. But it's quite an offbeat idea that could work as a concept, and a nod to one of horror's biggest Easter Eggs. With the broad performances of Donald Pleasence and Malcolm McDowell as Dr Loomis in previous entries, it's easy to see how Shatner could slot in as a character. It's also interesting that Akkad mentions that he's already 'reached out' to the actor. While the 2018 Halloween is expected to book-end the franchise and finish the story, it would be naïve to think that it would be the last fans see of Michael if the film scores big at the box office. Akkad mentions further projects for the brand, so there are always possibilities.
Akkad has been a producer on the Halloween series since the sixth film (Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers), and has great faith in Green's vision. Blumhouse are confident that the film honors Carpenter's original, and Jamie Lee Curtis plays Laurie Strode again because she liked the script so much. And while it seems unlikely that Shatner will ever appear in a Halloween film, stranger things have happened.
Release Dates:
. Halloween (2018) release date: Oct 19, 2018
