Blumhouse had big news to share this evening and opted to invite Collider and some other outlets to their office for the announcement. When they ushered us into their screening room, I thought it was safe to assume we'd see some footage from one of their upcoming films, but instead Jason Blum introduced Zanne Devine and David Thwaites from Miramax. Then he brought out Malek Akkad from Trancas. That right there tipped off the majority because Akkad produced a number of Halloween movies and is the son of Moustapha Akkad, the producer behind the original films. But the real game-changer was Blum's final guest, John Carpenter. He is teaming with Blumhouse, Miramax and Trancas to serve as an executive producer and possibly do the score for a brand new Halloween film!

The group didn't reveal too many details about the project beyond the fact that they're all working together, but they did answer select questions during a brief Q&A. They wouldn't tell us a single plot detail so sadly we have no idea how this movie will fit into the timeline established in previous installments or if the movie is its own thing, like a reboot. However, Carpenter did offer this:

"We're probably going to go back to the original traditions that we started with early on. It's kind of gone astray a little bit. I thought maybe the remakes went off somewhere that I didn't want 'em to go. Michael Myers is not a character. He is a force of nature. He is not a person. He is part supernatural, part human. He's like the wind. He's an evil wind. When you start straying away from that and you get into explaining, you're lost. So hopefully we can guide it back in that direction."


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Image via Eric Charbonneau

They couldn't share much beyond that because they actually don't even know precisely where they're heading themselves yet. Blum explained:

"We're not being vague because we know and we're not telling. We're being vague because we don't know. We're talking about different things. But I do feel like all of us kind of want to go back to that - I don't know. I'm going out on a limb here. Malek, you guys tell me if you disagree - I don't think we want to make it too meta, you know what I mean? We want to make it like it was - back to the basics - and not get into too much backstory which we don't need."

Blum went on to explain that while they won't rule out up and coming directors, it's more likely that they'll wind up working with one who's got a couple of movies under his or her belt.

As one might expect, the question of future installments also came up. The group didn't flat-out say this movie was meant to reignite the Halloween franchise but we're talking about Blumhouse and a long-running, iconic film series here. When they tease, "We'll see," it's pretty much a given that they're keeping the future in mind. Also in true Blumhouse form, this new Halloween movie won't be a $15 or $20 million production. It'll be done on a Blumhouse-style budget. Blum and co. also revealed the release date they're aiming for - Halloween 2017.

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Image via The Movie Database

So there you have it. Blumhouse is making a new Halloween movie with Carpenter serving as the godfather of the production! For more on the announcement, check out the official press release below.

JOHN CARPENTER TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCE NEW ‘HALLOWEEN’ FOR MIRAMAX®, TRANCAS AND BLUMHOUSE

 
LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2016 – John Carpenter, the multiple award-winning and legendary filmmaker and creator of the original Halloween films, will return to the franchise as executive producer on a new production of the iconic horror movie, it was jointly announced today by MIRAMAX® and Trancas International Films — MIRAMAX® and Blumhouse Productions will co- finance development and production, with Malek Akkad serving as producer under his Trancas banner and Jason Blum producing for Blumhouse. MIRAMAX®, which holds worldwide distribution rights, will determine its theatrical distribution partner at a future date.   The HALLOWEEN film franchise that was started in part by Carpenter and Moustapha Akkad in 1978 has spawned ten films generating a total of nearly $400 million in worldwide box office. John Carpenter said: “38 years after the original Halloween I’m going to help to try to make the 10th sequel the scariest of them all.”   Malek Akkad said: “Trancas International is thrilled to be teaming up with Miramax on Halloween, one of the most enduring horror franchises in film. We are also very excited to be working with Jason Blum and the whole team at Blumhouse. Together, along with the return of legendary filmmaker John Carpenter, we are eager to make a film that will be a milestone in the franchise's legacy and that will excite the fans, young and old.”   Zanne Devine, MIRAMAX’s EVP Film & Television, said: “Malek Akkad’s legacy with the Halloween franchise accompanied by Blumhouse’s unprecedented talent in the horror genre lays the foundation of a formidable team to create the next chapter of this iconic fan favorite. Having John Carpenter godfather the reboot of the iconic franchise he helped create brings it full circle. We couldn’t be in better company bringing Halloween back to the big screen.”  
Jason Blum said: “Halloween is one of those milestone films that inspired everyone at our company to get into the world of scary movies. The great Malek Akkad and John Carpenter have
a special place in the hearts of all genre fans and we are so excited that Miramax brought us together. We cannot wait to find and collaborate with the right filmmaker to give Halloween fans the movie they deserve."David Thwaites will oversee the reboot for MIRAMAX® with Carpenter and the companies planning to immediately go out to filmmakers and fast-track the project.   The Academy Award®-winning John Carpenter has written, directed, composed and/or edited over 20 films over the course of his career. An international household name, he is probably best known for his iconic features Halloween, The Thing, The Fog and Big Trouble in Little China, to name a few. As a musician, Carpenter kicks off his world tour in Los Angeles later this month, featuring songs from his Lost Themes and Lost Themes II albums – which he recorded with his son, Cody Carpenter. The 30+ city tour ends in Paris late November. He is repped by APA and Stankevich Law.