Miramax ultimately won the rights for “Halloween” on television but the studio is plotting for an even more ambitious cinematic universe for the horror franchise…
Michael Myers has a new home.
After a fierce bidding war that included several studios, Miramax ultimately won the television rights to the “Halloween” franchise while striking a deal with Trancas International Films, which is run by Malek Akkad.
Under terms of the new agreement, Miramax Television will develop a new “Halloween” TV series with a first-look agreement also in place for other television projects for the international marketplace.
While the current agreement will allow Miramax to develop a “Halloween” TV series, there is hope that a successful launch will eventually lead to a larger cinematic universe that would span across both film and television.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring Halloween to television,” Miramax Head of Global TV Marc Helwig told 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.”
Miramax has already been in the “Halloween” business for numerous years including the recent trilogy of films directed by David Gordon Green after partnering with Blumhouse. The bidding war for the “Halloween” rights reportedly involved several major players including Blumhouse at A24.
Horror movies have become box office gold in recent years with numerous studios developing projects with up and coming filmmakers and then striking longer term deals for new projects. A franchise as huge as “Halloween” rarely comes available so it’s understandable why so many studios were bidding to land the rights, especially with the chance to develop a first-of-its-kind TV series based on the original work from John Carpenter and Debra Hill.
Since the original “Halloween” was released in 1978, there have been 12 more films in the franchise including numerous direct sequels as well as remakes by director Rob Zombie as well as the recent trilogy that capped off with the much maligned “Halloween Ends.”
There’s no word yet on who will develop the “Halloween” series for Miramax but it definitely sounds like the studio has ambitious plans. A larger cinematic universe across film and TV would break down walls no horror franchise has really accomplished in recent years, especially in the streaming era.
Stay tuned for more news about the future of the “Halloween” franchise as it becomes available.
