Halloween (event series?)

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Might Michael Myers Spend His Next “HALLOWEEN” on Television?

This past fall, news broke over at Bloody-Disgusting that the HALLOWEEN franchise would be leaving Dimension Films after pulling the plug abruptly on HALLOWEEN RETURNS. Since then, there’s been nothing concrete about where HALLOWEEN would go, leaving fans and outlets to speculate where and how Michael Myers. However, if the chatter is to be believed, rumors are swirling that for the first time in the franchise’s history, Michael Myers just might be headed for the small screen.

With European Film Market wrapping last week, FANGORIA received word from a filmmaker who wished to remain anonymous that the newly available franchise may have skipped EFM in order to pursue a small screen alternative. While these reports are unconfirmed and should be taken with a grain of salt, our source says that the producers of the HALLOWEEN franchise have recently begun discussions with potential network representatives to bring Michael Myers to television. However, one shouldn’t expect HALLOWEEN to be the next WALKING DEAD: our source has said the television reboot would be a “limited series event”, with the option being restricted to a 3-to-5 season commitment akin to Guillermo del Toro’s TV adaptation of THE STRAIN.

While the idea of a HALLOWEEN TV series may seem far-fetched, the potential reasoning behind the move would be the series’ complicated chronology; a small-screen HALLOWEEN reboot could give the franchise a definitive “clean break” from the original HALLOWEEN films as well as the polarizing Rob Zombie remakes in a far less risky fashion than a new theatrical reboot. Apparently, the timeline issue was a major factor in why Dimension failed to reboot the series post-HALLOWEEN II (2009), and should the rumors prove themselves to be true, a HALLOWEEN series would help reintroduce the HALLOWEEN mythos to a new generation outside of the shadows of either timeline. Furthermore, with the series’ slasher-structure, only a select few cast members would survive from season to season, preventing the need for expensive, long-term performer contracts.

However, our source claims that these developments are fairly new in nature, and Trancas International Pictures is still fielding offers from production entities regarding bringing HALLOWEEN to the big screen. However, as budget horror becomes a more and more of a rarity in Hollywood, HALLOWEEN’s studio search might not have gone as smoothly as planned as Malek Akkad & Trancas still aim to keep up the franchise’s costly, old-school production value; in other words, a micro-budget, day-and-date HALLOWEEN film might be off-the-table, which could give way to a HALLOWEEN series that could carry that cinematic production value.

Although only a rumor until otherwise confirmed, the report frankly makes a lot of sense from this writer’s perspective. With standards and practices on cable dropping with more groundbreaking television by the month, it would make sense that a trusted brand name like HALLOWEEN could be a valuable addition to any network willing to take the risk (especially if the international appeal can lead to foreign pre-sales, akin to HANNIBAL’s production method). Likewise, there’s certainly more money to be invested in HALLOWEEN on television and without the pressures of opening weekend or profit performance to go along with it. At the very worst, a HALLOWEEN television series would be a lifeline for the franchise, giving the property a consistent cultural relevance while affording producers and fans enough time to establish a new timeline for Myers that wouldn’t necessarily need to carry onto the next set of films.

At the time of this posting, emails to Malek Akkad and Trancas International Pictures went unanswered, but we will keep eyes and ears out regarding this possible television revival. Until then, take these rumors as you may and stay tuned for more on HALLOWEEN- on big screen or small- here at FANGORIA.com