The 2018 Halloween from director David Gordon Green and horror mega-producer Jason Blum was a surprise hit with everyone and made a nice chunk of change as well. This led Universal and Blumhouse to make the obvious decision to greenlight not just one sequel, but two. The first, Halloween Kills, hit theaters and Peacock on October 15, proving to be a money maker for the studio.
The third installment, Halloween Ends, doesn’t release for another year, but after that massive cliffhanger ending in Kills, we’re dying to know what happens next in the story of Laurie Strode, Michael Myers, and the town of Haddonfield, Illinois.
What Is ‘Halloween Ends’ About?
There’s not too much known currently about Halloween Ends, but recently Green let some plot details about the film slip. Unlike Halloween Kills which was set mere moments after the events of the previous film, there will be a four-year time jump. Halloween Ends will be set four years after the events of the previous film and will address real-world events that have happened since 2018 including the COVID-19 Pandemic and what Green called in an interview with Uproxx “peculiar politics.” What exactly Green means by that remains to be seen, but bringing social and real-world issues into the franchise is not entirely out of left field, even looking back at the last two films.
Green has let it be known that Laurie Strode may not be the main driving force of the next film, instead he teased to Fandom that it will be her granddaughter Allyson who will be the main driving force of the movie along with her “considerations and psychology.” It is a bit obvious looking at everything she lost during the last two movies from her father, then her boyfriend, and then her own mother.
‘Halloween Ends’ Premiere?
Halloween Ends is scheduled to hit theaters on October 14, 2022. The film was originally given a release date of October 15, 2021, but after Halloween Kills was pushed back a year the threequel had no choice but to move as well.
As of right now, it will be the sole movie opening on the date, but since we’re still a year away that likely won’t last for long. Currently, the film hits theaters one week after the highly anticipated animated sequel to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and a week before the George Clooney/Julia Roberts romantic comedy Ticket To Paradise. Neither of those films will serve as too much competition for the slasher as all three films have different audiences.
Did They Film ‘Halloween Kills’ & ‘Halloween Ends’ Back-To-Back?
Initially, that was the plan for the slasher sequels, but it didn’t work out that way. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Andi Matichak revealed that the shooting schedule for Halloween Kills was so intense and so ambitious that it would not have been possible had they shot the two films back-to-back.
James Jude Courtney, one of the actors who plays Michael Myers, revealed that filming is planned to start in January, which would give the final film a tighter turn-around than the previous two installments.
Will There Be A Sequel To ‘Halloween Ends’?
Nope, at least not one with this same team involved. Green sees his three films as three parts of a four part story, with Carpenter’s 1978 original being part one. Green has stated that he hopes Hollywood will let Michael Myers and Laurie rest before resurrecting them once again. Here’s what he told fantacytube:
“My ego says create something that is a four-part series beginning with Carpenter’s, 1978 film, and then our follow-up trilogy. I’m sure the mythology takes over and Michael and Laurie will emerge in some new capacity with some new filmmaker, storyteller behind them. But for me, I’ll be done. I hope they’ll take a little time off before they resuscitate it. But that’s just my ego.”
Green will be quite busy for the next few years, he’ll be spearheading a continuation of another beloved horror franchise for Blumhouse with a sequel trilogy to The Exorcist with Academy Award nominee Leslie Odom Jr starring and Ellen Burstyn reprising her iconic role as Chris MacNeil. Green also will be working on yet another horror reboot as he will be directing the pilot of the still in development Hellraiser HBO series. He also directed the pilot episode of the Mindy Kaling-produced HBO Max series The Sex Lives Of College Girls and most recently he directed several episodes with his Halloween co-writer McBride for the second season of the popular HBO series The Righteous Gemstones. Most recently Green signed on to direct a feature film about the creation of Disneyland for Disney+. So if you are already a fan of Green as a director, you will surely have enough content to satisfy your hunger long after Halloween Ends hits theaters and even beforehand!
