Highlights
- Halloween, a timeless horror classic, may see new life as a series on a streaming platform, as Miramax is shopping the rights to the iconic film.
- While turning a film into a series doesn't always guarantee success, the popularity of Halloween and its cult following make it a likely candidate for continued success.
- The opinions of critics don't always align with the passionate fanbase, and what truly matters is finding someone who will do justice to the franchise and keep its legacy alive.
Halloween is a timeless horror classic that will be remade again and again. In the world of streaming, audiences may see more of Michael Myers.
Halloween has become, well, a Halloween staple. It's almost unbelievable that nearly every major studio turned the film down in the 1970s. With the film finished and no one to play it, it was up to the small production team to get it out to the public. Halloween first premiered in Kansas City, and shortly after that, every major city started to show it in their local theaters. Thus, the un-killable Michael Myers and Laurie Strode took the horror world by storm. Not only did John Carpenter catapult into fame, but the phenomenal Jamie Lee Curtius made her debut in the horror flick.
With Halloween Ends marking the conclusion of the intense sibling rivalry between Laurie and Michael, many wonder if that truly was the last of Michael Myers. Well, it's not, as Bloody Disgusting reports that Malek Akkad's Trancas International Films is currently shopping the rights to Halloween, and multiple bidders are trying to secure the rights to the iconic franchise. A24 and Miramax are reportedly the main parties vying for the TV rights, with the former pulling ahead. With streaming being all the craze, it's no surprise there are talks about turning the slasher film into a series. However, Trancas International Films is not only open to a television series. They are also receptive to the franchise staying as a motion picture film. Miramax already co-owns the film rights to Halloween sequels, so they would participate in any film deal that goes through. However, Trancas International Films is the sole owner of television rights. Nothing is set in stone, but with the Halloween franchise's popularity, it's only a matter of time before fans get news of what's in store for the horror icon.
Since Michael Myers always has a way of returning from the dead, it makes sense to turn the film into a series, but will it work out? Just because a company has secured rights to a film doesn't mean it will follow up with the same successful outcome. Even the scariest of them all, like The Exorcist, was turned into a show, stayed true to the original film, yet still flopped. However, the Chucky franchise remains popular and stays true to its source material. The same can also be said for reboots; they are either successful or disappointing.
There have been plenty of Halloween reboots, some of which weren't received well by critics, such as Rob Zombie's Halloween, but it has been received well in the horror community. Like the original film, Zombie's reboot is a Halloween staple for some people, just as Halloween: Resurrection and Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later are with others. Critics will always have their opinions on what classifies a movie or show as 'amazing,' but what also factors in is the film's cult following. Critics could hate a film, but the fans are the ones who keep the dream alive. What matters is the vision for the Halloween franchise and who will do it justice and continue the legacy.
Source: Bloody Disgusting