Summary

  • The rights to the Halloween franchise are up for sale, sparking a competitive bidding war among studios and streaming platforms.
  • The slasher franchise has a long history, with multiple sequels and reboots over the years, including a recent trilogy that concluded in 2022.
  • Miramax is currently seeking buyers for the Halloween franchise, with the option to adapt it into either a movie or a television series.

The rights to the Halloween franchise are reportedly back on the market. There are several lines of continuity in the slasher franchise, which introduced iconic killer Michael Myers in John Carpenter's original 1978 movie. Seven sequels within various continuities were released though 2002's Halloween: Resurrection, which was then followed by Rob Zombie's 2007 remake and its sequel. Most recently, director and co-writer David Gordon Green teamed with Blumhouse for a trilogy of movies between 2018 and 2022 that ostensibly closed the chapter of the franchise that followed the showdown between Myers and his intended victim Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis).

Halloween franchise are back on the market. Trancas International Films is currently shopping around the television rights for franchise and igniting a bidding war. The company is looking for potential buyers to adapt the franchise into a television property, with Miramax and A24 currently vying for the rights.

What Could Be Next For the Halloween Franchise?

Halloween H20 Michael Myers with a knife covered in blood

While 2022’s Halloween Ends was billed as the end of the franchise, it will most likely only be the end of the ongoing Laurie Strode story featuring Jamie Lee Curtis. The ever-so unkillable Michael Myers, however, is not a character who is tied to any particular actor (though Nick Castle is best known for portraying the role in the original movie and the new trilogy). Over the years, more than a dozen different actors have portrayed Myers in various contexts and at various ages.

Because of this, it would be much easier to recast Myers himself rather than reinventing Laurie Strode. A Halloween television show could thus perhaps be a Halloween prequel centering on a younger Myers. This seems entirely likely, as television adaptations of slasher properties have become popular in recent years thanks to shows like The USA Network and Syfy's Chucky and the Friday the 13th adaptation on Peacock (also an A24 production).

This would also allow Halloween a delayed opportunity to the ranks of the major 1980s slasher franchises on the small screen. Friday the 13th has already been adapted to the television in the loosely connected Friday the 13th: The Series, as had A Nightmare on Elm Street with the Freddy Krueger-hosted anthology show Freddy's Nightmares. Bringing Myers to television would also allow creators to explore a new side of the character and expand the franchise in an entirely different direction.

Source: Bloody Disgusting