Rumor: Tommy Doyle Will Return for 'Halloween Kills' and 'Halloween Ends'

Questions are flyin' everywhere. Of course, this all could be just a silly rumor.

To get you up to speed, Tommy Doyle was the kid Laurie Strode babysat in the original film, the fuel behind Laurie's perseverance and will to live against the man in the mask. Some may say the character of this kid was integral to the story, which is why we see him resurface in a few iterations for the following sequels.

He was initially portrayed by Brian Andrews, a rather unknown actor, but with a few credits to his name following both the first and second films. Then, of course, the character came back for the fourth film under the acting of Danny Ray, noticeably older. But the franchise pulled all the stops in the sixth film with a return of the character in Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers, portrayed by none other than... Paul Rudd.

I Honestly Dig Paul Rudd, and He Certainly Won Me Over, Though

But lest we not forget that the 2017 "remake sequel" that utterly retconned all previous sequels to death pretty much killed any semblance of what we knew about Tommy Doyle. Did you remember seeing the character in the newest film? Of course not.

That, of course, doesn't mean Doyle's not living out his life with the nightmares, just as Laurie Strode had been doing for who knows how long (about 40 years, based on the chronology). So for all we know, Doyle still exists within this new universe, this new timeline. And it turns out (again, it may be a rumor) that the character will see the light of the day, presumably under the acting chops of Paul Rudd—which would be fitting to some degree since the actor hammed it up in that sixth film!

But Is Paul Rudd Truly the Best Option?

Why not Brian Andrews? The original? Certainly not Danny Ray, but I wouldn't put it past Carpenter and company to make a pitch about him. The fact is Rudd would most likely be excellent in it, but the problem is we're talking about a guy who would have to be a good 40 some years older, dealing with serious trauma, and let's face it: Rudd doesn't look a day over 30. That's not necessarily his fault, but you see our point here.

The newest Halloweenwas true-blue Blumhouse all the way, complete with the grounded scares, suspense, and small heart attacks that made the studio a mainstay in the genre. No flashy photography, no CGI, nothing.

Just pure terror.

Now, although it seems like we're getting into a trend where comedy meets killer thriller in a big way, what with Chris Rock doing his Saw thing, I may have a bit of an issue with a gritty performer like Jamie Lee Curtis playing off of the guy from Anchorman and Wet Hot American Summer.

So why not experiment and see what we could be dealing with if the rumor is true and Tommy Doyle indeed will be returning?

Would It Be Interesting to See Kenneth Branagh Take on the Role?

Crazy, right? But think about it. Remember: this is a fresh take on the character. While it would be an excellent homage to have someone like Paul Rudd reprise his role, even though the sixth film largely stunk like a skunk, the fact is Tommy Doyle needs to be just as grounded and gritty as Laurie Strode is.

We need a thespian. A true thriller aficionado. We need the man who helmed Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with Robert DeNiro and solved the big crime inMurder on the Orient Express. If you do remember, Tommy Doyle certainly was very much like an inquisitor, asking questions and observing for Strode to take action like she typically did to protect everyone.

Kenneth Branagh might fit the mold quite well. That and he's a redhead, of course.

But Perhaps He Would Be TOO Serious—What About an Actor by the Name of Zack Ward?

Who? His name is Zack Ward, and at first glance you might not notice him as much as Branagh (unless you're a big fan of A Christmas Story!), but the guy's got quite the filmography, particularly in the horror genre. That's to his favor, no doubt. This guy's acted in films like Freddy Vs. Jason (laughable, yes, but hey, it's B-movie horror), Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Don't Blink, Bethany, Dark House, The Curse of Sleeping Beauty and Blood Lake, just to name a few.

Add to that, he's a redhead, he's the right age range to fit the chronology, and you just might have a winner.

Yet That May Be Just Too Much Camp for the Next Two 'Halloween' Sequels, Maybe? Enter: Eric Stoltz.

Yes, another redhead and within the right age for the role, but here's a tricky proposition for you: can Stoltz play a victim?? Or perhaps he can do some saving of his own and really turn the character around full circle? It would be fitting...

Yet this true thespian of a "younger Branagh version" might be lacking a bit in the cheeky thriller feeler, having only been in films like Pulp Fiction, Anaconda, The Fly II, Killing Zoeand The Prophecy(opposite iconic actor Christopher Walken). Those would only remotely fit the mold of a true slasher horror flick of nail-biting proportions, and the campy creature feature Anaconda even less so given Stoltz's character remained in a coma for almost 90 percent of the entire freakin' film. So gripping.

It's a tough call, really.

Even Tougher When We Think of Perhaps Alan Tudyk??

Hear me out on this one: the dude from A Knight's Tale and Rogue Onecould manage the character well given the right motivation. Here's the thing: look into the actor's eyes, and you just might see the same boy from long ago, hankering for some Laurie Strode love, and this could easily be what pushes Strode over the edge as Myers comes at him with a freakin' machete.

The honest issue, though, here is Tudyk only hasTucker & Dale VS Evil that would only remotely get him in the ballpark for a true-blue tongue-in-cheek horror film. And that might put just a bit too much camp in two follow-ups propelled by Blumhouse and leveraged by Curtis the right way.

Still... is Tudyk a tremendously capable actor? Most likely. And he could lend gravitas in the role that would so counterbalance Curtis' grim nature, who knows?

All We Know Is that Allegedly the Studio's Looking to Fill the Role for Those Two Films

Now it might be a rumor; it also might not. And there's even a more likely rumor that the studio did pitch it to Paul Rudd, but unfortunately his schedule is tied up with Reitman's newest Ghostbuster sequel. So we're thinking there's a good chance the studio wants to bring the character back.

And why wouldn't they? Technically Tommy Doyle is the only victim who survived Myers (besides Strode). He's a bit of a legend. So I say this: why not have a legend serve and portray the role next to one of the biggest scream queens of all time?

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