The bidding war is over!
Although there was a great furore online that prematurely announced A24 Films had landed the Halloween series rights, that’s not the case. After a much-publicized bidding war, it has now been confirmed that Miramax have landed the primary rights to the legendary series.
This announcement may create some confusion among readers, as some may be asking “didn’t Miramax already have rights to the Halloween franchise?”
Thankfully, we’re here to clear this up. Yes, Miramax have owned a portion of the Halloween series since 1995 and that continued through the most recent offerings. However, with Blumhouse walking away after their three-picture deal, a portion of the rights was once again up for grabs.
Miramax have obviously used this to increase their stake in the franchise, with it now being owned solely by them and Malek Akkad’s Trancas International Pictures. You may be wondering who will distribute any new Halloween content that emerges from this deal, as many are. Where Blumhouse had Universal, Miramax has Paramount, as they have been a “Paramount/Viacom” company since the liquidation of the Weinstein Company. This means Paramount Pictures will get first refusal on any Halloween material Miramax and Trancas produce. Can you imagine, Ghostface and Michael Myers under the same studio banner! It very likely could happen.
So, now that the Halloween series has a new home, what next? Well, according to series owner Malek Akkad and Miramax’s head of television development Marc Helwig, a television series is next on the cards.
What this series will entail is being kept strictly under wraps, but we do know the series is being produced with an eye towards creating a Halloween “cinematic universe.”
What does that mean? Likely that Miramax and Trancas want to open the series up beyond Michael Myers, and have various Halloween characters eventually head to the big-screen with their own movies. Will it work? Only time will tell.
Exciting news, even if it has left fans feeling… slightly cautious. The one think both parties have stressed is that Michael Myers will return, so we’ll just have to watch this space.
