Legendary horror director John Carpenter says he’s not yet retired from directing, but balks at the notion of making a sequel to The Thing. At 70-years-old, Carpenter’s influence over the horror genre remains apparent, especially with the upcoming addition to his most famous franchise, Halloween, approaching its October release date.
In 1978, Carpenter unknowingly spawned a film series that would continue for over 40 years. His classic tale of serial killer Michael Myers helped define the slasher subgenre, and bolstered its popularity throughout the 1980s. After the release of the first Halloween, ten films followed, but not one follow-up was directed by Carpenter. In fact, Carpenter has only directed two films total since 1998: Ghosts of Mars (2001) and The Ward (2010).
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That’s not to say Carpenter wouldn’t get back behind the camera, according to an interview with EW. He steadfastly claimed, “I would love to direct something, if it’s the right thing to do at my age“. He also went on to explain that he would never do a sequel to The Thing, as filming took place on refrigerated sets in L.A. and other frigid locales. Carpenter wants to enjoy himself, and instead floated the idea of a project filmed in Venice. He’s clearly in no rush to direct again though, expressing his fondness for basketball, and video games, and staying on his couch.
![John Carpenter Wants to Direct Again, But Won’t Make The Thing 2](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Michael-Myers-Halloween-2018.jpg)
Although he didn’t direct this upcoming reboot of his classic slasher property, Carpenter remained involved by writing and performing the soundtrack for the movie. In addition to having Carpenter onboard, the sequel, of the same name as its predecessor, will feature Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle reprising their original roles. David Gordon Green (of Pineapple Express fame) directs the sequel he wrote alongside Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride. Ignoring all of the previous sequels, this movie does its best to harken back to the original, and – at least according to Carpenter – it’s successful in doing so. With the creator’s seal of approval, and projections for the best box office opening weekend of the franchise, Halloween likely won’t disappoint.
Carpenter is an American film staple, and his work will continue to have a ripple effect on the horror genre and cinema as a whole for years to come. If he ever does make a return behind the camera, fans will welcome it wholeheartedly – especially now in an age where so many of today’s filmmakers and fans grew up watching Carpenter’s classics. Either way though, a Carpenter-helmed continuation of The Thing seems about as likely to materialize as Guillermo Del Toro’s version of In the Mountains of Madness.