Director David Gordon Green has been offering up some clues as to the tone of the final film in his Halloween Trilogy – Halloween Ends. Speaking on the Empire Spoiler Special Podcast, he described the finale as a “much more intimate movie.”
Green described the three different entries in the trilogy as; “they are all there to honor Carpenter, but aren’t necessarily just emulating him.”
He cites Carpenter’s 80s horror classic Christine as a major influence on Halloween Ends; “I sent Carpenter the new draft of Halloween Ends the other night, and I said, ‘If it feels too ‘Christine,’ let me know.’ For Halloween Ends, it’s just a love of Carpenter, you know. It’s more than just, ‘Hey, here’s a character and a community that you’ve created.’ It’s, ‘Here’s an appreciation of your legendary body of work.’”
Carpenter has remained involved in the most recent Halloween films by composing new scores for them with his son. Carpenter’s 1983 film, based on a Stephen King novel, is about a car with an evil and murderous mind of its own. It seems as though it’s the most obvious reference point for a Halloween film, so it will be interesting to find out where Green is going with this.
While Halloween Kills was not a hit with critics, it did do well at the box office, earning $50 million in its opening weekend. It also set a streaming record for Peacock, where it debuted day-and-date with its theatre release. Green’s first Halloween film, released in 2018, was a surprise hit, earning over $250 million at the box office.
Once his Halloween trilogy is rounded-out in 2022, David Gordon Green will next be tackling another iconic horror franchise – The Exorcist. Leslie Odom Jr has already been cast and Ellen Burstyn will be reprising her original role. The Exorcist is set to be another trilogy, with the current plan for Green to write and direct all three. The release date is already set at October 2023 – marking 50 years since the release of the first Exorcist film. Jason Blum and Universal are eyeing a similar release strategy to Halloween, involving streaming service Peacock.