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Jake Gyllenhaal Convinced Jamie Lee Curtis to Return for Halloween 2018
It turns out fans should thank Jake Gyllenhaal for convincing Jamie Lee Curtis to return for Halloween 2018. Curtis first made her big screen breakthrough with the original Halloween, where she played a shy teenager named Laurie Strode, who is stalked by relentless serial killer named Michael Myers. The little independent horror became a smash hit shortly after release, and spawned a series of sequels.
Curtis returned for 1981's Halloween II, which picked up moments after the ending of the original. The movie also revealed Laurie and Michael wre siblings, explaining his motives. The movie ended with Myers seemingly dead, and Curtis sat out parts 3-6. She came back for Halloween: H20 to celebrate the franchises' 20th anniversary, and briefly reprised the role for 2002's critically reviled Halloween: Resurrection, where Laurie finally met her demise at Michael's hands in the opening sequence.
However, Halloween 2018 will hit the reset button, and act as a sequel to the original movie only. The movie will also do away with the sibling reveal angle, with Laurie and Michael being strangers once more. Curtis had previously ruled out any kind of return to the franchise, but the actress revealed to Variety it was family friend Jake Gyllenhaal who convinced her to come back. The actor worked with director David Gordon Green on Stronger and praised the filmmaker's talents, leading to Curtis agreeing to meet with him about the new Halloween; the rest is history.
David Gordon Green and co-writer Danny McBride are big fans of the original Halloween and the franchise. The movie is slightly controversial among some fans for choosing to wipe the slate completely clean and ignore all the previous sequels, but given the sheer number of divergent storylines, there wasn't much choice but to start fresh. That said, McBride has stated Halloween 2018 will pay homage to all of the other sequels too.
Green has worked in just about every genre imaginable, from wacky comedy (Pineapple Express) to indie dramas like George Washington and Joe. Gyllenhaal also gave a very affecting performance in Stronger, so it's nice to see the star went to bat for his director in talking to Curtis. Laurie will no longer be a victim waiting to be attacked in Halloween 2018, and will essentially play the Dr Loomis (Donald Pleasance) role in the new movie, waiting and prepared for the killer to come back. Laure will also have to protect her daughter and granddaughter from Myers once his new rampage begins.
