Miramax has prevailed in the bidding war for television rights to the “Halloween” horror franchise, meaning Michael Myers could soon be slicing and dicing his way across the small screen or assorted streaming platforms. The indie studio beat out other contenders, including A24, which was also in the mix for the rights, according to an insider with knowledge.
The auction was held by Malek Akkad’s Trancas International Films, which controls the franchise’s TV rights. It makes sense that Miramax would move aggressively to nab the option to make a television off-shoot, as the company shares ownership of the film rights with Trancas. Plus, the horror franchise has been very lucrative for Miramax, which also co-produces the “Scream” movies.
The deal comes a week after Miramax CEO Bill Block was canned from the company’s top post after overseeing a lackluster run of films such as “Confess, Fletch” and “He’s All That.” The company is co-owned by majority stakeholderbeIN Media Group, as well asParamount Global.
A24, which has a much higher profile than Miramax, bought the television rights to the “Friday the 13th” series and has also had success with horror, releasing the likes of “Hereditary,” “Midsommar” and the comedic “Bodies Bodies Bodies.” Bloody Disgusting first reported on the auction.
Myers with his masked visage has become a horror icon, racking up a prodigious body count across 13 feature films. After running out of gas, Blumhouse and Universal tapped David Gordon Green to cook up a new trilogy of films, which brought back Jamie Lee Curtis, the star of the original movie. The most recent of these films, “Halloween Ends,” debuted in 2022 and earned $105.4 million.
Financial details of the sale of television rights were not immediately clear. Myers, the knife-wielding serial killer who has anchored the series, first appeared in John Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic, “Halloween.” In addition to movies, Myers has popped up to bloody effect in comic books and novels.
