Halloween Reboot: Every Update You Need To Know

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Halloween 2018 finds Michael Myers coming home once again – but this time Laurie Strode will be waiting. Directed by David Gordon Green and produced by horror heavyweights Blumhouse, the latest sequel takes the franchise back to its roots. We’ve collected everything you need to know about the latest Halloween, including the storyline, its status in the franchise’s twisted continuity and when you can expect the trailer.

Release Date: October 19, 2018
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, James Jude Courtney, Nick Castle
Director: David Gordon Green
Writers: David Gordon Green, Danny McBride

JAMIE LEE CURTIS IS BACK AS LAURIE STRODE

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The biggest casting announcement regarding Halloween 2018 is the return of Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode. Laurie is the original heroine of the series, with Curtis having played the role four times previously. Due to the series’ tangled timeline, however, she’s also died twice; the first was an offscreen car accident in Halloween IV: The Return Of Michael Myers and the second was when Michael finally managed to kill her in Halloween: Resurrection.

The new movie will disregard everything bar the original, so Laurie will face off against Michael one last time. Nick Castle is also returning, having played Michael Myers for the majority of the original. Castle’s eerie performance was never bettered, and he’ll portray Michael for a couple of scenes in the latest entry.

HALLOWEEN 2018 HAS A STACKED NEW CAST

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Joining Curtis will be Judy Greer, playing Laurie’s daughter Karen Strode. Andi Matichak will be playing Karen’s daughter, with Curtis has stated the new movie is essentially retelling the original Halloween from the perspective of Laurie’s granddaughter. The cast is rounded out by character actor Will Patton as the sheriff and James Jude Courtney as Michael Myers.

Courtney will play Michael for the majority of the movie and shares the role with original performer Nick Castle.

HALLOWEEN 2018’S STORY

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Halloween 2018 is essentially a Halloween II set 40 years after Michael’s rampage in the 1978 movie. In this new timeline, Michael was arrested and locked up after Loomis shot him in the original, and a true crime crew visit him in prison while making a documentary about his crimes. This leads to Michael escaping once again and heading straight for Laurie.

Laurie has been waiting decades for his return, however, and in addition to protecting her daughter and grandchild, she’s determined to finish him for good.

HALLOWEEN 2018 IGNORES THE PREVIOUS SEQUELS

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Halloween 2018 will ignore every other movie in the series except the original, which isn’t exactly a first. There are multiple timelines in the franchise already, including Halloween IV-IV, which was subsequently ignored by the events of Halloween VII-VIII. There’s also Rob Zombie’s Halloween I & II, which were remakes.

Finally, there’s Halloween III: Season Of The Witch, which was an original, Myers-free entry, with the original Halloween being a movie that exists within the story.

THERE’S NO SIBLING RIVALRY IN HALLOWEEN 2018

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1981’s Halloween II centered on the shocking twist that Laurie Strode was actually Michael Myers’ sister, and that’s why he was trying to kill her. This reveal carried over to the rest of the series, including Zombie’s remakes. This twist is somewhat controversial within the fanbase, however, with many feeling that providing Michael with a motive takes away from his menace.

Halloween 2018 will dispense with this twist; the story will instead revealing Laurie and Michael aren’t actually related, and that was just a rumor that spread following his crimes.

JOHN CARPENTER IS BACK AFTER DECADES

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Halloween 2018 marks series creator John Carpenter’s return for the first time in over three decades. Carpenter wrote and directed the original, but tried to opt out of the sequel, feeling there was no story to tell. He was finally convinced to write, produce and compose the score for it, but made sure to kill Michael in the finale to prevent more sequels.

He later produced Halloween III: Season Of The Witch, an original story that was supposed to kick off an anthology series. When that movie underperformed and Michael was resurrected again, he left to pursue other projects. Carpenter was recruited by Blumhouse to executive produce and oversee Halloween 2018, and will also compose the score.

A HALLOWEEN 2018 TRAILER PLAYED AT CINEMACON (BUT ISN’T ONLINE YET)

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The trailer for Halloween 2018 debuted at CinemaCon, with Jamie Lee Curtis on hand to introduce it. The preview wowed viewers with its creepy, atmospheric tone, and Laurie Strode being portrayed as a strong-willed survivor. While the trailer was set to be released a month or two following its CinemaCon debut, rumors suggest it might be fast-tracked due to the overwhelmingly positive response.

THE HALLOWEEN 2018 POSTER REVEALS MICHAEL MYERS AGED MASK

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The first teaser poster for Halloween 2018 reveals Michael’s mask, which will be the same one he donned during the 1978 original. It won’t, however, be the exact same mask used during the making of that movie, which was a modified William Shatner mask from Star Trek; Makeup artist Christopher Nelson created the Halloween 2018 mask, specifically researching how masks age and decay over time to create Michael’s distinct new look.

HALLOWEEN 2018 IS WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY BIG FANS

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David Gordon Green will direct the new Halloween from a script he co-wrote with actor Danny McBride. Both men are big Halloween fans and jumped at the chance to be part of the series. Green is a director who likes to jump around genres and is equally at home with indie dramas (Joe) as he is with wacky comedies (Pineapple Express).

McBride has acted in several of Green’s projects and is best known as a comedy star, but he’s also a big horror fan, and recently co-starred in Alien: Covenant.

BLUMHOUSE IS PRODUCING (AND JASON BLUM LOVES THE FIRST CUT)

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Producer Jason Blum’s production company Blumhouse is producing Halloween 2018, so the project should be in very safe hands. Blumhouse has come to dominate the contemporary horror scene, producing high concept ideas on a low budget, whilst allowing filmmakers a large degree of creative freedom.

Their low risk, high reward strategy has yielded big hits, including The Purge series, Get Out and Insidious. Blum is also a big fan of Halloween, and producing the new movie was a labor of love for him. He recently watched the first cut, praising the work of David Gordon Green and stating that it respects the past whilst adding something fresh to the series.


KEY RELEASE DATES
Halloween release date: Oct 19, 2018