Diehard Halloween fans have been hoping that the character of Tommy Doyle would be returning for one or both of the franchise’s upcoming sequels and now, it’s official. Prominent ’80s star Anthony Michael Hall will be portraying a grown-up version of one of the kids that Laurie Strode babysat on that unfortunate holiday when Michael Myers first escaped custody in the upcoming follow-up Halloween Ends.
The 51-year-old actor rose to stardom as a teenager, popping up in coming-of-age classics like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Weird Science. To avoid being typecast as a geek, he began to branch out in his adolescence by accepting parts in Out of Bounds, Johnny Be Good, Edward Scissorhands and Six Degrees of Separation. Now, he’s taking the plunge into horror by joining one of the genre’s biggest franchises.
Tommy Doyle was first played by Brian Andrews way back in the day. Danny Ray then took over the role in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers before handing the reigns off to future A-lister Paul Rudd, who helped the iconic Dr. Loomis battle with the Shape in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. Now that he’s an adult, Doyle will likely join forces with his former babysitter to try to defeat the masked serial killer once and for all.
Now that this rumor has been confirmed, it remains to be seen if the other gossip surrounding these planned installments also comes to fruition. It’s been said that Charles Cyphers, who starred as Sheriff Leigh Brackett in the first couple of movies, may reprise his role in the series, too. Since one of the characters from the original is being brought back, it makes sense for more to be resurrected as well. Given that Cyphers is 80-years-old, however, his part could also end up being recast.
Halloween Kills will stalk into theaters on October 16th, 2020, with Halloween Ends premiering just one year later, on October 15th.