Paul Rudd has given his blessing to the actor who will be reviving his Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers role in Halloween Kills. The classic slasher franchise saw a revival in 2018 with Halloween, a critical and commercial hit that serves as a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s 1978 film, Halloween. Two sequels have already been given the green light, this year’s Halloween Kills, and 2021's Halloween Ends.
In the sixth installment of the Halloween franchise, 1995's Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Rudd played an adult version of Tommy Doyle, the little boy that Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) babysits in the first Halloween. Laurie also babysat Lindsey Wallace (briefly) in that first movie where Tommy and Lindsey are played by Brian Andrews and Kyle Richards, respectively. All three of those characters are returning for Halloween Kills with Curtis and Richards reprising their roles. However, neither Andrews nor Rudd will be returning as Tommy. Instead, The Breakfast Club actor Anthony Michael Hall will play an adult Tommy in Halloween Kills. The main reason Rudd isn't reprising his role is due to scheduling conflicts with Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
In an interview on the FANTASM podcast, Hall talked about his role in the upcoming film. Halloween Kills is directed by David Gordon Green (not Carpenter) and, as Hall tells it, Rudd reached out to Green wishing Carpenter’s character, and the actor who is playing him, the best. He said:
“So one day, David Gordon Green texts me when I’m off – I wasn’t shooting that day – and he goes, ‘Yeah, I got a call from Paul Rudd, and he sends his best and he gave you his blessings – he’s really excited that you’re playing the part.’ I never met Paul Rudd but I thought that was really nice.”
Outside of Rudd's portrayal of Tommy in 1995 and Rob Zombie's 2007 remake of Halloween (where he was played by Skyler Gisondo), Tommy hasn't been seen since Carpenter's original film - that's how Halloween Kills will be approaching the character. While 2018's Halloween is technically the 11th installment in the Halloween film series, it is a direct sequel to Carpenter's 1978 film. As its referential title signifies, it's a relaunching of the franchise that saw Nick Castle (Mike Myers) revisit his character 40 years after the events of Meyers' killing spree. This approach essentially retcons all of the other films; the only familiar characters that exist in the universe are the ones from that first (and now second) Halloween. Anything those characters may have done in the films outside of 1978 and 2018's Halloween is being ignored. For example, Rudd's version of Tommy, who played a central role in the plot of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers isn't necessarily relevant to Hall's portrayal in Halloween Kills.
The fact that Hall only needs to be familiar with the 1978 Halloween and Andrews' depiction of Tommy is beside the point. Hall will be playing the first adult version of Tommy we've seen on screen since Rudd's in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. That film wasn't exactly critically acclaimed; the quasi-reboot of the Halloween franchise has been well received thus far. With Rudd's support, hopefully, Hall's take on Tommy and Halloween Kills as a whole, will continue to feel both nostalgic and fresh.
Source: FANTASM Podcast/YouTube
