One key detail fromJurassic World Rebirthmakes me want a crossover with theHalloweenfranchise. The upcoming movie, which stars Scarlett Johansson and is being directed by Gareth Edwards from a screenplay by David Koepp, will be the seventh installment in the long-runningJurassic Parkfranchise. The iconic series of dinosaurs-run-amok blockbusters kicked off with the 1993 Steven Spielberg movie, adapting the Michael Crichton novel of the same name, and by the time of writing the threeParkmovies and threeWorldmovies have cumulatively grossed more than $6 billion, becoming the eleventh highest-grossing movie franchise of all time.
TheHalloweenmovies, on the other hand, kicked off even earlier, beginning with John Carpenter’s original slasher classic in 1978. At the time of writing,there are now 13 theatrical installments in the horror franchisein a multitude of continuities, though the majority of them focus on the exploits of notorious serial killer Michael Myers, many times following his relentless pursuit of his intended victim Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), who is his long-lost sister in some continuities. While this is seemingly unrelated to the dinosaur blockbusters, theupcomingJurassic World Rebirthstrikes an unusual connection between the two franchises.
How Jurassic World Rebirth Could Be Connected To The Other 6 Jurassic Movies
Jurassic World Rebirth is a fresh start for the franchise, but it could still be connected to the other 6 Jurassic movies in some major ways.
Jurassic World 4’s Dr. Loomis Character Creates An Unexpected Halloween Connection
Jonathan Bailey Plays The Incoming Jurassic World Character
A recent breakdown of theJurassic Worldcastrevealed thatBridgertonstarJonathan Bailey will be playing a paleontologist named Dr. Henry Loomis. So far, no further details are known about the character, but his name provides an unusual connection to theHalloweenfranchise, as one of the main characters alongside Michael Myers and Laurie Strode is Dr. Sam Loomis. Dr. Loomis is the psychiatrist who worked with Michael Myers in the sanitarium as a child and spends the majority of his adult life chasing down the serial killer and attempting to stop his rampages.
Multiple actors have playedDr. Loomis inHalloween, withDonald Pleasence playing the role in five of the first six movies, Malcolm McDowell taking over the role for two movies in the Rob Zombie remake continuity, and Tom Jones Jr. and Colin Mahan recreating the body and voice of the late Pleasence for a flashback sequence in 2021’sHalloween Kills. Overall, the character has appeared in eight of the sprawling franchise’s 13 movies, falling just behind Laurie Strode’s total of nine appearances including Scout Taylor-Compton’s stint in the role in the Rob Zombie movies.
Dr. Loomis did not appear in 1982’sHalloween III: Season of the Witchbecause the movie is an anthology story about an evil maskmaker that is not directly in continuity with the rest of the franchise.
I know that the name Dr. Sam Loomis does not exist in a vacuum, astheHalloweencharacter was named after Marion Crane’s lover Sam Loomis in 1960’sPsycho, and the surname was later borrowed for Skeet Ulrich’s character Billy Loomis in 1996’sScream. However,Psycho’s Loomis was a hardware store owner andScream’s Loomis was a high school student, so the presence of a Dr. Loomis inJurassic World Rebirthwould still seem to give it a direct connection toHalloweenover either of those other iconic horror franchises.
A Jurassic & Halloween Crossover Movie Is Actually Possible
Licensing Might Not Present An Issue
While it is not a guarantee,aHalloweenandJurassiccrossover is not entirely out of the question. From the beginning, theJurassic Parkfranchise has belonged to Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. While theHalloweenfranchise is owned by Trancas International Films and has been since 1985, Universal Pictures distributed the most recent trilogy of movies in the franchise, which was co-produced by Blumhouse Productions, with whom they have a first-look deal. While that collaboration with Trancas is no longer active, it is possible that future negotiations could see Universal and Trancas reteam on more installments.
The most recent update from the franchise is that Miramax acquired theHalloweentelevision rights from Trancas and is in development on a series set in the universe.
What A Jurassic & Halloween Crossover Movie Could Look Like
The Crossover Would Be Unusual And Entertaining
While a crossover between theHalloweenmoviesand theJurassic Parkfranchise would be unprecedented, I think it has the potential to be extremely entertaining. While it seems inevitable that there would have to be a scene or scene where Michael Myers squares off against a dinosaur,the human-sized serial killer may nevertheless find himself outmatched by the prehistoric predators. While he frequently outsmarts his victims, he may not have the scientific knowledge necessary to outwit the brute strength of a T-Rex or other dinosaurs of similar size.
Thus,it seems likely that he would be used as a co-antagonist in the movie, similar to the way thatFreddy vs. Jasonhad the titular killers from theFriday the 13thandElm Streetfranchises present twin threats to the teens at the center of the movie until their showdown against one another in the third act. It seems possible that characters who survive an ordeal on one of theJurassicfranchise’s islands, seeking an inland shelter as far away from islands full of dinosaurs as possible, move to Haddonfield, Illinois, where they find themselves in Michael’s crosshairs.
A Crossover Jurassic World & Halloween Movie Is Probably Unlikely
The Movie Likely Would Not Work For A Variety Of Reasons
In addition to the inherent power disparity between Michael Myers and a herd of dinosaurs, there are several important reasons why it is unlikely that theJurassic Parkmovieswill ever cross over with theHalloweenfranchise. The first is thatthe horror series is R-rated while theJurassicmovies are squarely PG-13. Given the enormous budgets required to bring dinosaurs to life onscreen, it will be seen as a much more significant financial risk to close the movies off to the younger demographic and limit the audience just to those who are 17 and older.
The studios might take a risk on a combined IP but not a huge budget.
While the recent Marvel hitDeadpool & Wolverineproved R-rated movies can surpass $1 billion, it is an outlier. A crossover between the franchises would likely only occur if both individually began to suffer significant losses, in which case the studios might take a risk on a combined IP but not a huge budget. While the character name inJurassic World Rebirthcould very well be an intentional reference to the iconicHalloweencharacter, it seems unlikely to actually be a tease of anything that will ever come to fruition, as much as I might want it to happen.
Jurassic World Rebirth
Cast
Jurassic World Rebirth, set five years after Jurassic World Dominion, sees covert operations expert Zora Bennett guiding a team to obtain dinosaur genetic material. Their mission collides with a stranded family on a perilous island, uncovering a long-buried secret.
