Universal PicturesDread it, run from it, Michael Myers arrives all the same.
After the majorly successful Halloween in 2018, Blumhouse have announced two sequels: Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, set for release in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
It’s only fitting that, in a series about a murderer who seemingly can’t be killed, 1978’s Halloween star Nick Castle is returning to the role of Michael Myers.
Castle, who filled out ‘The Shape’ in the original slasher classic, briefly returned to the role in the recent sequel. The infamous villain was predominantly played by imposing newcomer James Jude Courtney, who Castle also confirmed to be returning in the coming films.
You can't kill the boogeyman. Just heard the news. I'm coming back. pic.twitter.com/DXFsritGQB
— Nick Castle OG Shape (@ncastlez) July 25, 2019
Tweeting on Thursday, July 25, Castle said: ‘You can’t kill the boogeyman. Just heard the news. I’m coming back.’
In a subsequent tweet, Castle confirmed: ‘I’ll be returning but, you know Big Game James still got the torch! More later.’
As reported by HalloweenMovies, Courtney said he learned to kill from an ex-mafia hitman.
Courtney explained:
I learned how to kill from a mafia hitman who lived with me when he got out of prison… I’ve been complimented many times here on set on how efficiently I kill, and all I did was take what he taught me.
Universal PicturesCourtney was brought in to take on the iconic role because he captured the same essence of Castle’s performance in 1978.
Courtney added:
Why Malek Akkad and David Gordon Green brought me in is because because it’s just the way I move. It’s a place that exists (and) my job was to find that place. It’s a living, breathing place so when I go into that place everything is natural. I just do what that space dictates.
David Gordon Green, who directed 2018’s Halloween, is returning to captain Halloween Kills and Ends.
Compass International PicturesFor the uninitiated, 2018’s Halloween was the latest twist in a very messy franchise. 1978’s first Halloween, directed by John Carpenter, was followed up by a number of sequels and soft reboots: Halloween II, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Halloween H20 and Halloween: Resurrection. In 2007, grisly horror director Rob Zombie released Halloween; another reboot of the character, which was followed up by a sequel in 2009.
However, 2018’s Halloween scrubs all previous sequels and reboots away from history, acting as a sequel to the first film, and the first film alone. So don’t worry, there’s not a lot of catching up to do.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.