Don’t Expect John Carpenter to Write or Direct a New Feature Film Anytime Soon

Filmmaker John Carpenter produced last year’s successful Halloween and is confirmed to be producing the upcoming sequels Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, but given how exhausting a process it is to write and direct a feature film, fans shouldn’t expect to see a new film written or directed by the iconic filmmaker in the foreseeable future. One of the last things Carpenter directed was a music video for his Christine theme song in 2017, requiring some late-night shoots that went well into the evening. Despite a project directed by Carpenter seeming doubtful in the near future, the filmmaker isn’t ruling out the possibility entirely.

“That’s the problem, see. I’m old. It’s tough,” Carpenter revealed to ComicBook.com about his lack of interest in directing.

When discussing the possibility of merely writing a project without directing it, Carpenter clarified, “No. That’s hard work also. See, you’re talking about hard work.” He added, “Come on, man, you’re talking about a lot of work.”

The last feature film directed by Carpenter was 2010’s The Ward, which was written by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen. Prior to that, his previous feature film came nearly a decade earlier with 2001’s Ghosts of Mars. With Carpenter keeping busy composing music and producing films, it would seem as though The Ward could stand as his final film, but he isn’t ruling out a return at some point.

“You never say never in this business,” the filmmaker clarified. “But a script will come along, and I read it and say, ‘Wow, I got to do that.’ I just don’t know. We’ll see. I’m open to it.”

In addition to producing last year’s Halloween, Carpenter also crafted the film’s score, marking his first direct involvement in the franchise since creating the score for 1982’s Halloween III: Season of the Witch. The filmmaker noted that his experience on the 2018 sequel was so enjoyable that he wouldn’t be opposed to producing more continuations of his famous films.

When asked by ComicBook.com if the experience on last year’s film inspired him to serve as producer on more continuations of his films, Carpenter confessed, “Sure. Hell yes. Are you kidding? Producing’s easy. Somebody else does all the work. You just say, ‘Oh, I like that,’ or, ‘I don’t like that.’ That’s easy. Hell yes. You get paid to do that.”

Stay tuned for details on future Carpenter projects. The filmmaker will serve as a producer and composer on the upcoming Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, releasing on October 16, 2020 and October 15, 2021, respectively.

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