We knew, as of February this year, that Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton were finally writing the much-delayed next Halloween sequel. This morning comes the relatively unsurprising news that Dunstan will also direct. Production is due to start imminently, and the film now has a title too. It's (ahem) Halloween Returns.
Dunstan and Melton are the writing team behind Saws IV-VII, the Feast films and Piranha 3DD. Halloween Returns - the eleventh Halloween - won't be his first gig behind the camera however. He made his debut with The Collector in 2009, followed by its sequel The Collection in 2012.
There's still nothing officially known about the film's plot or angle, other than that it's planned as a "recalibration" of the Halloween series. Bloody Disgusting have a plot synopsis of unclear origin that involves two now grown-up children of Michael Myers' victims sneaking into death row to watch the slasher's execution, but finding themselves in hot water when everything goes awry and Myers, of course, escapes.*
Deadline actually describe it as "the next instalment of the Halloween reboots," but that's not quite in line with previous studio quotes about drawing a line under the two Rob Zombie films and starting again. Again.
It's certain, of course, that Halloween Returns will involve Michael Myers on a killing rampage on or around October 31. Beyond that, solid details will no doubt start emerging soon, since Dunstan's cameras start rolling next month.
*See also Shocker and House III.