ROB ZOMBIE On 'Halloween' Sequel: 'It's Time To Really Take MICHAEL MYERS To The Next Level'

The Pulse of Radio reports: Rob Zombie has been confirmed to write and direct "H2", a sequel to his 2009 remake of "Halloween" that is slated to open this October. According to Variety, Zombie will begin shooting the movie in March on an accelerated schedule. The new film will pick up right where the last one ended and chronicle the aftermath of a relentless killing spree by the Michael Myers character. There's no word on which, if any, cast members will be returning for the new installment.

The announcement was made Tuesday by Bob Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Co.

"Following the success of 2007's 'Halloween', we are thrilled to be back in business with Rob Zombie, bringing a sequel to theaters," Weinstein said in a statement. "The fans have made it clear — and we agree — that they feel the franchise is in great hands with Rob Zombie."

"I am very excited to be working with Bob Weinstein again and returning to the world of 'Halloween'," said Zombie. "The remake laid the groundwork, now it's time to really take Michael Myers to the next level. I believe we've just barely scratched the surface of where we can take this series."

Zombie has repeatedly denied any interest in helming a "Halloween" sequel, despite the first one being the most successful of his three feature films to date. But he also said in a recent call with reporters that he wouldn't necessarily want to produce a another director's sequel either. "You know, it all depends. I mean, I don't know what their plans are. You know, if I was gonna produce somebody else's movie I would wanna know what it was about. I always get offers to make a 'Rob Zombie Presents' or produce things or, you know, shadow produce things where you actually don't do any work and you just pick up a check. But I've never done it because I feel weird about putting my name on something that I'm not responsible for."

Zombie told Variety that the sequel to his remake will not resemble "Halloween 2", the follow-up to the original 1978 horror classic.

Zombie also explained why he decided to come back to the franchise after initially taking a pass, saying, "I was so burned out. (But) I took a long break, made a record and I got excited again. Now, we'll be hauling ass, and that's the problem making a movie called 'Halloween': If you come out November 1 or after, nobody cares. If it was called anything else, I'd be fine."

The next film on Zombie's slate was supposed to be a biker flick called "Tyrannosaurus Rex", but he recently revealed that he had yet to even write the script for that one.

Zombie recently issued a box set of all the recordings by his previous band, WHITE ZOMBIE, and will release his fourth solo studio album next year.