John Carpenter Could Have Directing Projects on the Horizon

Filmmaker John Carpenter will go down as one of the most effective and influential voices in horror cinema, though with a number of stone-cold classics to his name, recent years have seen him taking a backseat to directing and writing, instead focusing on producing and making music. With more than a decade passing since his last feature film, some might think Carpenter has left the directing chair behind permanently, though a recent chat with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette could reveal that he isn’t as retired as fans thought. Of course, given Carpenter’s effusive behavior, he might merely not rule out a possible directing gig at some point in the future, despite not having concrete plans for such a project.

The outlet claimed, “Though he couldn’t talk about what he’s currently working on, Carpenter said that he has a few projects ‘lined up and percolating’ that will involve him flexing his skills as a director, writer, and composer.”

Given that Carpenter himself wasn’t specifically quoted and that having projects “lined up and percolating” can be quite ambiguous, it’s tough to tell whether these reports are substantial or more broad and speculative. 

In recent years, arguably the closest Carpenter has come to directing was when his comic book series Tales for a Halloween Night was announced to be moving forward as a TV series, which he was reported to be directing at least one episode of. With the number of years that have passed since those reports and with the project being reimagined and brought to other networks, it’s unclear if that project could still see him helming an episode.

“There’s progress that’s always being held up by COVID. We’re trying to get it finalized,” Carpenter confirmed with ComicBook.com earlier this year when asked about the status of the series. “It has a home. I won’t tell you about it right now. I’ll tell you about it when it finally comes to fruition.”  

Even without directing duties, Carpenter is still keeping quite busy. This year has seen the release of his album of original music Lost Themes III as well as the score for the new adaptation of Stephen King’s Firestarter. Hitting theaters later this year is Halloween Ends, on which he served as both a producer and a composer.

Stay tuned for details on Carpenter’s future projects. 

Would you like to see the filmmaker return to directing? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!