David Gordon Green and Danny McBride are now the creative team in charge of resurrecting Michael Myers.
They say all good things come to those who wait, and for horror fans that means either an exciting and fresh discovery (Safe Neighborhood, The Wailing) or the return of a talent or franchise we already love. That latter dream was dashed a few days ago when Paramount officially canceled the impending production on a new Friday the 13th, but today we’ve gotten news about another beloved slasher franchise.
A new Halloween movie is headed our way next year – more precisely, and miraculously, it’s currently scheduled for release just a couple weeks before Halloween. John Carpenter is on-board as executive producer alongside Jason Blum, and Carpenter himself dropped the bombshell news as to who will be directing and writing via his Facebook.
“David Gordon Green and Danny McBride are joining the project to complete the creative team. David and Danny will write the script together and David will direct. I will continue in my executive producer role to consult and offer my advice and feedback as needed.”
How cool is that?
Neither of them are names associated with horror, and that’s a big part of the appeal. Green’s filmography ranged from dramatic indies to studio comedies to television, but he’s long shown an interest in genre fare. He was attached to the Suspiria remake for a couple years (before having the reins passed to Luca Guadagnino), so this decision isn’t as far out of left field as it first appears. McBride meanwhile has co-written some tremendously dark television – typically under the guise of comedy – so I’m immediately intrigued by the possibilities of what these two can bring to a slasher film.
Pessimists of course will point to the disappointing track record of filmmakers who’ve previously attempted to remake Carpenter’s films. The remakes/prequels of Assault on Precinct 13 and The Thing are mediocre entertainment, but Rob Zombie’s two-film stab at Halloween is aggressive garbage and the less said about Rupert Wainwright’s abysmal redo of The Fog the better. Hell, even Carpenter’s own Escape from L.A. – every bit a sad redo of Escape from New York – is a curiosity at best.
But to that I say phooey. None of those films, Escape from L.A. excepted, had as talented and fascinating a pair of filmmaker in the director‘s chair and writing room.
Carpenter says Green and McBride shared their vision for the film and blew him away. “They get it,” he says before adding one last thing.
“I might even do the music. Maybe. It could be kind of cool.”
And that alone should be enough to get every last one of you remake-hating mofos on-board with this when the brand new Halloween opens October 19th, 2018.
Related Topics: Halloween, Horror, Remakes
