John Carpenter properties are very hot at the moment, with a new Halloween hitting theaters this week (with a new score from the man himself) along with long-gestating sequels/reboots in the works for Big Trouble in Little China, Escape from New York, and Starman. And speaking of that last one, it turns out the “Starman” himself, Jeff Bridges, has his own plans for a new installment.
In a recent interview with The Wrap, Bridges revealed that he wants to star in a sequel to the film, and he’s even already discussed some ideas for the story with his old co-star, Karen Allen. Namely, Bridges thinks Starman is ripe for sequel potential since the film ends with (spoiler alert) Allen’s Earth girl having been impregnated by Bridge’s alien. “It’s all set up, very much like (The Big) Lebowski, like the Little Dude. The Dude in the oven. In Starman, Karen Allen, she’s got a bun in the oven as well,” he said. Then, when informed by The Wrap that they would be speaking with John Carpenter, Bridges told them to pass along to the director that, “Karen Allen and I have been jammin’ on different ideas.”
Unfortunately for Bridges, a Starman remake is already in development from Shawn Levy, who is set to direct and produce for Columbia. As of right now, it doesn’t sound like it will have anything to do with Carpenter’s original, but that could change as it’s still in the early stages of development. “Starman is very much in the script development stage still and the timeline for if and when it will go into production is still unclear,” Levy told The Wrap in a statement. “As a huge fan of the original film and these incredible actors, I would absolutely do everything in my power to involve them in some meaningful way, should I get the privilege of telling a new version of this amazing and poignant story.”
The future of Starman is unclear at the moment, and whether the next film will ultimately be a remake, a sequel, or some hybrid of the two is anyone’s guess; but here’s hoping that Bridges’ ideas actually end up in the final product — we want to see that 34-year-old Starbaby!
