Altsounds - Rob Zombie Resurrecting "Halloween"

Billboard.com reports: Rocker-turned-filmmaker Rob Zombie is resurrecting Michael Myers, one of the big screen's favorite horror villains. Zombie will write and direct a new "Halloween" movie, serving up what is being called as a brand new vision for the long-running horror series. He will also serve as a producer and a music supervisor on the film.

An October 2007 release is being planned. Disney's Miramax Films will co-finance the development with former Miramax chiefs Bob and Harvey Weinstein's Dimension Films.

The movie will not be a sequel or a straight-ahead remake of the 1978 original -- which helped director John Carpenter cement his name in the horror business -- but a reimagining that will infuse new blood into the Myers story.

"The look and the feel is going to be completely different," Zombie says. "'Halloween' started off as a very terrifying concept, a terrifying movie. But over the years, Michael Myers has become a friendly Halloween mask. When it came to the point where you could buy a Michael Myers doll that was cute-looking and press its stomach and play the 'Halloween' theme, you knew the scare factor was gone.

"But I think the story and the situation is scary," he continues. "All it needed was someone to come in and to take a totally different approach to make it scary again. To me, that's the challenge and that's the fun."

Zombie is a fan of the original and said he sought Carpenter's blessing. "He said, 'That's awesome, go for it,"' Zombie said. "He was very supportive, which I thought was very important. I feel like 'Halloween' is his baby, and I wanted to be very respectful."

http://www.metalunderground.com/news/