'Halloween Kills': Blumhouse announces start of filming on slasher sequel

Michael Myers is back as Blumhouse has announced that filming has begun on Halloween Kills — the sequel to David Gordon Green’s 2018 reboot of the iconic horror franchise.

Green is returning to helm the new movie and will also direct another sequel, entitled Halloween Ends.

The director is also joined once again by co-writer and comedy actor Danny McBride, with whom he co-wrote the first reboot.

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Principal photography has now begun on the film, which has thus far been secretive in terms of plot, in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Blumhouse shared an image of a director’s chair on Reddit, which had been decorated with the ominous addition of Michael Myers’ trademark kitchen knife.

The Halloween reboot was well received by fans and critics, scooping $255m (£205m) at the worldwide box office from a budget of just $10m (£8m).

The film saw Jamie Lee Curtis return as Laurie Strode, preparing to clash with Michael again — 40 years after the murders depicted in John Carpenter’s original 1978 classic.

Halloween ignored the events of the wider franchise, binning the continuity of the seven original sequels and the previous reboots helmed by Rob Zombie.

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Carpenter himself returned to the franchise with the reboot, taking on an executive producer role as well as composing the score alongside his son, Cody, and Daniel Davies.

James Jude Courtney portrayed Myers for the majority of the 2018 film and will do so in the sequels too, with 71-year-old original Michael actor Nick Castle again appearing in some scenes.

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The Halloween franchise now joins a lucrative roster of series being produced by Blumhouse, which also has Insidious, Paranormal Activity and The Purge on its books.

Halloween Kills will be released in October 2020, with Halloween Ends arriving the following year.