Universal Pictures has unveiled back-to-back “Halloween” sequels that will open in 2020 and 2021.
The studio made the announcement while noting that last year’s “Halloween,” starring Jamie Lee Curtis
and directed by David Gordon Green, went on to become the
highest-grossing installment in the horror franchise at more than $250
million worldwide.
The first film will be titled “Halloween Kills” and open on Oct. 16,
2020. “Halloween Ends” will open a year later on Oct. 15, 2021. Green
will direct both films and Curtis will star.
Last year’s “Halloween” was the 11th installment in the franchise,
five of which included Curtis, and a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s
original 1978 movie. Nick Castle returns to portray the deranged Myers,
who has escaped custody and heads for Haddonfield, Ill., for a final
showdown with Strode on Halloween night.
The 2018 take, produced by Trancas International Films, Blumhouse, and
Miramax, garnered some of the best reviews for a series entry yet. While
the last few iterations have been panned, “Halloween” holds a 79%
“fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Carpenter returned to executive
produce and compose the score for “Halloween.”
In the original film, villain Michael Myers has spent the last 15
years locked away inside a sanitarium under the care of child
psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis. On the night before Halloween in 1978,
Myers escapes and makes his way back home to Haddonfield, Ill., where he
stalks high-school student Laurie Strode, memorably played by Curtis in
her film debut. The original “Halloween” was directed by Carpenter from
his own script and begins with six-year-old Michael killing his teenage
sister on Halloween in 1963.
In the 2018 film, Curtis’ character has a final confrontation with
Michael Myers, who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his
killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago. That film found
Strode as a reclusive grandmother still traumatized by her encounters
with the killer and praying every night to get one more chance to
dispatch Myers. After he escapes prison, she gets her wish. The film
also starred Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton and Virginia
Gardner.