The upcoming Halloween sequel will see the return of some of the most integral components of the franchise, with Jamie Lee Curtis returning to play Laurie Strode and John Carpenter serving as executive producer. Another frequent component of the franchise, actress Danielle Harris, has yet to be approached to be involved in the project, which has left her “bummed out.”
Videos by ComicBook.com
Harris debuted in the franchise with Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, playing the daughter of Laurie Strode, Jamie. Seeking to end his bloodline, Michael Myers returned to Haddonfield in hopes of killing off Jamie like he had previously attempted to do to Laurie. Jamie defeated Michael and appeared in that film’s sequel, with her character also appearing in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, where she was portrayed by a different actress.
Interestingly, Harris returned to the Halloween franchise with Rob Zombie’s installments where she played Annie Brackett.
Despite having appeared in as many installments as Jamie Lee Curtis, Harris took to Facebook to address her disappointed feelings about not being involved in the new film.
“I’m forever grateful and indebted to the Halloween franchise…”
Since her debut in the franchise at the age of 11, the actress’ appearances as not just a child but as an adult has gained her a passionate following in the horror genre.
“I’m bummed out. And here’s why I’m bummed out,” said Harris. “I’ve done four Halloween movies, and I’m grateful for those movies. I wouldn’t have all of you guys here… if it wasn’t for Halloween. I’m forever grateful and indebted to the Halloween franchise. It’s been good to me.”
While Harris and Curtis are arguably the most iconic components of the franchise, behind only Michael Myers, actor Donald Pleasence has more appearances in the series than either actress, having portrayed Dr. Loomis in five separate installments.
“We did put in a call, thought it’d be kinda cool…”
The only other casting details audiences have learned is that Judy Greer is in talks to play Laurie’s daughter Karen.
“What I am bummed about is… [Laurie Strode] has a daughter. I was okay with it when she had a son… but they’re saying it’s the last one and… she has a daughter. And it’s not Jamie,” Harris pointed out. “It’s just kind of a bummer, I guess.”
Harris was so excited about the opportunity to potentially return to the franchise, she took active measures to get involved in the sequel.
“I think somebody had said, it wouldn’t have hurt the movie to have Jamie reunited with [Laurie]. But that didn’t happen,” Harris admitted. “We did put in a call, thought it’d be kinda cool even just to have a little flashback… they were not interested. So. I tried.”
“I’ve got a lot of other cool ones coming out soon.”
Compared to other horror franchises, Halloween has one of the more straightforward villains, with Michael Myers often traveling from Point A to Point B and killing people along the way. Despite this simplicity, the saga has one of the most convoluted timelines.
The first two films focus on Halloween night in 1978, with Halloween III: Season of the Witch departing from Michael Myers with an all-new story. Reacting to fans disappointed with a lack of Michael Myers, the fourth film continued the narrative of the first two films. The seventh film, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, brought back Jamie Lee Curtis and effectively erased the events of films 4-6.
Halloween: Resurrection marked the official end of this new timeline, with Rob Zombie’s two films being their own narrative. The new film, which will be written/directed by David Gordon Green and Danny McBride, is set after the events of the original film, crafting yet another narrative. This means that, including the new timeline, there will be a total of five different timelines in the entire franchise.
Harris and the two characters she played might effectively be erased from the new timeline, but wanted to remind fans she’s still active in the genre.
“But that doesn’t mean you won’t see me in lots of other horror movies,” Harris noted. “I’ve got a lot of other cool ones coming out soon.”
The new Halloween film is slated to hit theaters on October 19, 2018.
(h/t Bloody Disgusting)
[Embed id=1031453]Halloween (2018) (NonComicMovie: halloween-2018-)[/Embed]
