New Halloween TV Series Set to Be a "Creative Reset" for Michael Myers Franchise
Don't count on a continuation of the recent reboot trilogy.
The final chapter in David Gordon Green's Halloween trilogy, Halloween Ends, is seemingly making good on its title, as Miramax exec Marc Helwig has confirmed to Deadline that the upcoming TV series based on Michael Myers will serve as a "creative reset" for the franchise. The exec did imply that the upcoming expansion will still embrace the events of the original 1978 Halloween and won't necessarily reimagine that territory, but given that it will be a TV series instead of a feature film, we'll likely get an experience that gets to expand on and explore unseen elements in exciting ways.
"The foundation of it is the original film, the John Carpenter movie, the characters of that film, and perhaps a group of characters that we haven't really focused on that much in recent film versions or even in a number of them," Helwig shared with the outlet. "It's a creative reset completely and going back to the original film, as opposed to spinning out of any of the more recent film adaptations."
Green took a similar approach to his films, in that his first Halloween served as a direct sequel to the first movie and ignored the events of all the other sequels. However, with Halloween H20: 20 years Later also taking that approach, and getting full-blown reboot films from Rob Zombie, there is a bit of confusion about the franchise among some audiences.
"It's a big world ... so I don't think that is an opportunity to go off the back of that," Helwig said of continuing from where Ends left off.
What could excite fans about this upcoming TV show is that, while beloved movie franchises A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th have previously pivoted into TV series, both of those adaptations were merely horror-inspired anthology experiences with no mythological connections to their predecessors.
Last year's writers' and actors' strikes understandably put some obstacles in the way of the series' development, but Helwig confirmed the new series was a top priority for the studio.
"We're on a fast track, it's a big priority for us. We've had lots of exciting conversations in recent months with a number of really talented people, and I think we'll have a pretty good idea of what we're going to be doing very soon," the exec confirmed. "We're hoping to lock down the creative team very soon."
Stay tuned for updates on the Halloween TV series.
Are you looking forward to the new TV show? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!