'Halloween' Director Explains The Horror Film's Use Of Comedy & A TV Spin-Off Is Still Being Developed

We are only a few short weeks away from Michael Myers’ triumphant return to the big screen in the long-awaited reboot/sequel “Halloween.” From the early reviews, it appears that director David Gordon Green and co-writer Danny McBride have given fans what they’ve been decades for — a worthy sequel to John Carpenter’s horror classic. But this new film wasn’t always a guarantee. And as we approach the film’s release, we have news about a TV show that is still in the works, and the one rule McBride had for the director that should put naysayers’ concerns to rest.

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In a new story over at EW, David Gordon Green was asked about the new “Halloween” and how fans were skeptical when he and Danny McBride were named as the creative forces behind the film. Before “Halloween,” Green and McBride were probably best known for their collaborations on stoner comedies like “Pineapple Express” and “Your Highness,” as well as the TV shows “Vice Principals” and “Eastbound and Down.” But even before they began work on “Halloween,” Green says that McBride had one rule.

“We’re really trying to honor Carpenter’s vision,” says the filmmaker. “Danny said a really smart thing: ‘Until there’s killings, there’s no jokes. Let’s not give anybody anything to laugh at until we’ve scared them shitless.’”

So, for those concerned that McBride and Green have turned “Halloween” into a horror comedy, yes there will be jokes, but the creative minds behind the film have the emphasis squarely on scaring the shit out of you.

And while the “Halloween” franchise is expected to find new life on the big screen thanks to the duo, there’s still a TV series that’s floating around. Producer Malek Akkad has been behind the in-development “Halloween” series for years now. And thanks to Bloody Disgusting, we have an update on how the series is progressing, as well as any impact the new film might have on the production.

READ MORE: David Gordon Green Almost Re-Filmed A Famous ‘Halloween’ Scene Until John Carpenter Intervened

“You know, [the ‘Halloween’ TV series is] something that we’ve had for a long time and I definitely want to see it done,” said Akkad.

He goes on to explain how long the series has been in development and why there has been such a delay in the series hitting TV screens, “When we started doing it… this was in development about a decade ago. At the time, I think the thought was we don’t want to cannibalize the theatrical. Let’s keep it as a theatrical event movie. If that starts flowing down, we would address TV. Nowadays, we all know, TV is pulling out ahead of theatrical in a way that surprised everybody, certainly me.”

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There’s also the big question of Michael Myers’ involvement. Does the “Halloween” series have a spot for the slasher, or are the producers taking a more “Halloween 3” turn for the franchise? “The one we were developing and that I still feel very strongly about, he’s involved in it,” Akkad said. “That’s really all I can say about it now. It wouldn’t look anything like your traditional ‘Halloween’ movie, but he’s in there as are a lot of other characters but used in different and interesting ways.”

So it sounds like maybe it’s a mixture of both? Well, we might find out sooner than we expected as “Halloween” is poised to be a box office force when it hits theaters on October 19.