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Alright, so this is an idea that just popped into my head, and this is what came to mind. I thought it was interesting and just wanted to share it with you all.
-After being turned down by both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, John Carpenter approached veteran actor Donald Pleasance. He offered Pleasance the role of Dr. Sam Loomis in a low-budget film that he was directing. Pleasance, like Lee and Cushing, turned down the role due to insufficient pay.
-Having been rejected a third time, the search continued for someone to play the role of Dr. Loomis. A few nights later, Carpenter was up late at night with insomnia and decided to watch television in order to help him sleep. On that night was a broadcast of Citizen Kane. Inspired by Welles performance, Carpenter added his name to the list of potential candidates for the role in his movie.
-Orson Welles had been in talks with Paramount Pictures to star in a role that he had been dreaming about for decades. They had purchased the rights to the entire set of Rex Stout’s famous Nero Wolfe series. What should have been a golden opportunity, fell through as Welles had creative differences with his employers.
-Carpenter had managed to get in contact with Welles in late 1977, and offered him the role. Welles had initially intended to turn Carpenter down until the young director offered to discuss the matter over dinner. Not wanting to turn down a free meal, Welles agreed to meet with him.
-While at dinner, Carpenter explained the movie, its budget, and what he hoped to do with it. Welles was intrigued and asked for a copy of the script, which Carpenter gave to him on the spot. After reviewing it, Welles went from intrigued to impressed. In a way, Carpenter reminded Welles of himself, and the veteran actor accepted the role of Dr. Loomis.
-Halloween was filmed in 21 days, and with a low budget. Nontheless, when it premiered in 1978, it was very well received. Welles’ name in particular had lent the movie a great deal of star-power, and was applauded for his portrayal of Dr. Loomis.
-John Carpenter did not want to return to direct the sequel to the film, and so offered the position to Welles, who agreed to take over the project. Now starring in, and directing the sequel, Welles was in a position he had been in many times before.
-Welles, as he had done many times before, had massive creative differences with the film’s backers. He wanted to do the sequel his own way, while the main donors, Irwin Yablans and Moustapha Akkad, wanted changes made to the script. Eventually, it led to frustration on both sides, that caused Yablans and Akkad to back out of the project, leaving the movie with no money. Welles left as director shortly after that, and the entire project collapsed. The sequel did not make it past the development stage, and no copies of the original drafts survived to the present day.