John Carpenter's original classic Halloween set the standard for the modern slasher movie, merging tropes and techniques originating in Italian giallo suspense thrillers with subdued everyday American settings a la Black Christmas to create a chilling new vision of horror that dominated the genre for decades - while also spawning seven sequels (and two remakes) of its own.

Now, a new era in the storied franchise is set to begin under horror-specialist Blumhouse Productions: David Gordon Green has signed on to direct a new Halloween feature - with original mastermind John Carpenter potentially returning to handle music duties.

Details are thus far scarce on the project, which was officially announced last year, other than that Green will direct from a screenplay he co-writes with Danny McBride (who worked with the director on Pineapple Express and other films). It is unknown whether the film will continue on from the events of the original eight-film series or establish a continuity of its own, though the reboot is expected to once again feature iconic character Michael Myers as the central antagonist.

Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween

Carpenter additionally announced the new Halloween film's release date in his post on Facebook:

So you say you want a Revolution?

You want to shake things up and bring back Halloween and make it rock again?

Well so do I.

So here’s the announcement you’ve all been waiting for:

David Gordon Green and Danny McBride are joining the project to complete the creative team. David and Danny will write the script together and David will direct. I will continue in my executive producer role to consult and offer my advice and feedback as needed.

David and Danny both came to my office recently with Jason Blum and shared their vision for the new movie and…WOW. They get it. I think you’re gonna dig it. They blew me away.

I might even do the music. Maybe. It could be kind of cool.

And you’ll get to see it in theaters on October 19th, 2018.

Released in 1978, the original Halloween involved a near-superhuman serial killer named Michael Myers who returned to his old suburban neighborhood to terrorize teenagers (primarily Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode) on Halloween night. Subsequent sequels revealed that Laurie was Michael's younger sister, while further installments expanded the mythos to include occult activity and secret societies. A pair of remakes by Rob Zombie, released in 2007 and 2009, reconceived the main characters in more graphic, surrealistic terms with a greater emphasis on Michael's psychological state.

The new Halloween film will hit theaters October 19, 2018.

Source: Blumhouse