How Jake Gyllenhaal Helped Make the 'Halloween' Sequel Happen

Jamie Lee Curtis debuted as Laurie Strode in 1978's Halloween, a character which she reprised in [...]

Jamie Lee Curtis debuted as Laurie Strode in 1978's Halloween, a character which she reprised in three of the film's sequels. The actress hadn't appeared in a Halloween film since 2002, though she returns to the franchise with the latest sequel this fall. In an unlikely source of inspiration, one of the contributing elements to taking on the role was some intervention from Jake Gyllenhaal.

The upcoming horror film is directed and co-written by David Gordon Green, who delivered audiences 2017's Stronger, in which Gyllenhaal starred. According to Variety, the actor, who Curtis calls her "unofficial godson," tracked down the actress while she was on vacation in order to show his support for Green and his abilities. The outlet claims Gyllenhaal called his experience on Stronger "the greatest experience of his professional career." Curtis was also impressed by Green's vision of the film, and the rest is history.

This new film marks not only Curtis' return to the franchise, but also her masked co-star from the original film, Nick Castle. While we never saw his face in Halloween, Castle returned to the franchise for the first time in 40 years to briefly play the masked Michael Myers once again, though James Jude Courtney has taken on a majority of the more physical elements of the role.

Not only are stars of the film returning for the endeavor, but so is original director and co-writer John Carpenter to serve as executive producer and composer. This marks his first direct involvement with the franchise since 1982's Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which he produced and crafted the score for with Alan Howarth. As far as why he returned to the series, Carpenter had a much simpler explanation earlier this year.

"Well, they asked me," Carpenter admitted to Rotten Tomatoes of how he got involved, matter-of-factly. "You know, the rights went back to Miramax and Malek Akkad talked to me and he wanted me to do something. And then Jason Blum, who's the biggest horror producer in Hollywood, talked to me. He was going to produce it. They were willing to pay me, which is always a good thing, so I said yes."

The filmmaker had been quite vocal for decades about his disinterest in crafting more than one film, though his years of dismissing the sequels was seemingly another factor in his return.

"I talked about the Halloweens for a long time, the sequels — I haven't even seen all of them," Carpenter confessed. "I don't even know what really was there — but finally it occurred to me: Well if I'm just flapping my gums here, talking about it, why don't I try to make it as good as I can? I could offer advice. I could talk to the director. I like the director very much. I like the script. So, you know, stop throwing rocks from the sidelines and get in there and try to do something positive."

Fans can see the next chapter in the Halloween saga when the new film lands in theaters on October 19th.

Does the return of the original stars have you more excited for this film? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T Variety]

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