The Halloween franchise was dead in the water before Jamie Lee Curtis returned to take on Michael Myers one last time.
What should have been a standalone movie was dragged, kicking and screaming, into a trilogy that did the franchise more harm than good.
There, we said it.
The 2018 Halloween movie would have been looked back on more fondly if it had brought those storylines to a close.
The sequels were unnecessary and only served to make money. Quality be damned.
You can only imagine my surprise when Deadline reported Thursday that Miramax had won a “heated bidding war” for the television rights to the iconic franchise.
It’s hard to believe that anyone’s asking for this, more so after Halloween Ends brought Laurie Strode’s story to a conclusion with a whimper.
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But Hollywood is going to Hollywood.
Fresh and exciting concepts are left on the shelf as studios make it their mission to rehash once-popular, hoping they will bring in some money.
It’s hard to tell what stories will come from the TV series, but it’s hard to imagine it not featuring Laurie and Michael Myers.
The deal is sad to have the possibility of launching a cinematic universe spanning film and television.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring Halloween to television,” Miramax’s Head of Global TV Marc Helwig said in a statement to Deadline.
“We are thrilled to expand our long and successful partnership with Trancas and the brilliant Malek Akkad in introducing this iconic franchise to a new form of storytelling and a new generation of fans.”
“Trancas International Films is extremely enthused to be expanding our long-standing relationship with Miramax, and we look forward to working with Marc Helwig and the entire team in creating this new chapter,” said Malek Akkad of Trancas International Films.
The Halloween franchise encompasses 13 movies, but none of the sequels came close to the thrills and chills of the 1978 original.
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Studios are notoriously interested in keeping franchises ingrained in pop culture alive.
Universal Pictures famously paid $400 million for the rights to the Exorcist franchise, and the first movie under the company has stalled at the box office, thanks to terrible reviews.
It’s difficult to assess whether anyone would watch a Halloween TV series because many will probably recall the dreadful sequels.
It hasn’t even been that long since its 2022 release, either.
If a TV series is necessary, it shouldn’t even be in the talking stages at this point.
It should be years down the line.
Sigh.
What are your thoughts on bringing Halloween to the small screen?
Did you laugh as much as I did that there was even a “bidding war?”
Hit the comments below.
