Trick ‘r Treat Director Teases Having a “Really Great Script” for Sequel

Nearly 15 years have passed since Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat was released, with each year seeing its following grow more passionate, and each year seeing him give a status update on a potential sequel. As has become a Halloween tradition, Dougherty has once again offered an update on the project, this time noting that there’s a “really great” script for the follow-up, though also noted that it’s not quite as simple as having a script and support from fans, as the film would still need the support of studios, as well as the scheduling opportunities. Additionally, this year’s writers’ strike and the ongoing actors’ strikes are other factors that have caused complications.

“I will say this, because we said it last year at the Beyond Fest screening, the sequel is in active development with Legendary,” Dougherty shared during an in-person Q&A for the film, per Collider. “I’ll go so far as to say that we have several drafts of a script.”

He added, “I brought back the same storyboard artist I mentioned before, Simeon Wilkins, so we have a stack of storyboards and a good fat stack of concept art done by Breehn Burns as well. So it’s inching along.”

The original film featured multiple tales of terror being told in an anthology format, with each story taking place on Halloween and embracing various traditions honored during the holiday. A sequel was seemingly officially announced back in 2013, yet that project never gained substantial momentum. 

“I’m hoping to talk to Legendary,” Dougherty expressed. “They’ve been wonderful, like great collaborators. But so much of it is timing, and as you know, we just got out of a strike, so the next step, fingers crossed, would be looking at budget, of course, schedule, and all the rest … But we have a really, really great script for a sequel. And I brought in my co-writer from Krampus to do it with me. So Zach Shields and Todd Casey who do Krampus with me also helped me write Trick ‘r Treat Part 2.”

Other updates that the filmmaker has offered over the years are that the follow-up won’t feature any returning stars from the first movie and also that it’s possible that the franchise could expand to include animated shorts that honor the spirit of the original.

Stay tuned for updates on the Trick ‘r Treat sequel.

Are you hoping the project moves forward? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!