John Carpenter hasn’t directed a film in 15 years, but the “Halloween” and “The Thing” auteur is far from retired. In fact, he’s just waiting for the right project — and budget.
Carpenter told Variety before receiving his a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 3 that he would “love to direct again,” but he would have to have the proper financing. When asked if he had plans to direct soon, Carpenter said, “Plans? I don’t know. I would love to direct again, given the right circumstances. But I’m not the same kid anymore who will do it for any amount of money. I can’t back into a budget anymore.”
He added, “I’m too old. It’s too hard. But directing is the love of my life. I’ll never stop loving that.”
The legendary horror auteur remotely directed 2023 TV series “Suburban Screams,” which was filmed in Prague. Carpenter helmed the show from his home in Los Angeles, which he said at the time was “awesome” as he could work from his couch. “Suburban Screams” was his first directorial effort in over five years; in 2017, he released a series of remake music videos including “Escape from New York” and “Christine.” Carpenter’s most recent film was 2010’s “The Ward.”
Now, Carpenter is detailing just how much Hollywood has changed during his 57 years in Los Angeles.
“The studios aren’t what they were,” Carpenter told Variety. “They’re kind of these old bones of dinosaurs sitting there. It’s sad now. This is not the business I got into. But the pull of it, the attraction, the legend of it stays the same. Tourists come and stare up at the Hollywood sign, they walk by the Chinese Theatre, they look at the [hand and shoe] prints on the ground and the stars on the Walk of Fame, and they say, ‘This is it.’”
As for which project Carpenter could direct next, he teased a possible sequel to 1982’s “The Thing” in 2023, saying, “I have been sworn to secrecy, OK, because there may be, I don’t know if there will be, there may be a ‘Thing 2.’”
