Marcus Dunstan

If you’re a fan of the Halloween franchise, then this news is not only kind of a big deal, but it might be a little surprising. After 20 years, Dimension Films has lost the distribution rights to the series, and Miramax is now shopping those rights around to potential buyers, which could mean big, big changes for the future of the classic horror franchise — as well as the death of the sequel that’s been in development for the past year.

A few months ago we learned that director Marcus Dunstan and his longtime collaborator Patrick Melton are working on a new installment in the long-running Halloween franchise. The duo, who also worked on several films in the Saw franchise, are approaching things a little differently — it’s not a reboot, but instead will be a direct sequel to 1981's Halloween II, and if you’re a little confused about the title, Dunstan can clear that up for you.

We’ve heard plenty of rumors about a new installment in the Halloween franchise for quite some time now, but today brings official word on the future of the series. The newest installment has been formally titled Halloween Returns, with The Collector director Marcus Dunstan attached to co-write and direct.

Remake. Reboot. Reimagining. All of these words we use to describe taking an old property and making it new again. Well now you can add “recalibration” to the list of the creative ways people try to explain what is, essentially, a remake. The writing team behind four of the seven ‘Saw’ films, as well as ‘The Collector’ and its sequel, have been brought on for a new installment in the classic ‘Halloween’ franchise, and they’re doing what they like to call a “recalibration” of the property—whatever that means.

Collaborators Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton are back with a sequel to their 2009 film 'The Collector'; but where that film felt tight, focused and atmospheric, 'The Collection' perhaps expands its world a little too much and feels a bit deflated.