We might be seeing the return of another classic Halloween character in the upcoming sequel Halloween Kills, according to a new rumor. Speaking on his podcast The Sneider Cut with Variety journalist Justin Kroll, Collider's Jeff Sneider speaks about the same rumor both had heard about the sequel, which is that it will feature the return of Tommy Doyle. Longtime fans of the franchise will of course know Tommy as one of the children babysat by Laurie Strode in John Carpenter's original movie from 1978, and from when Paul Rudd played the character in the 1995 sequel Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers.

Also according to Kroll, word is Paul Rudd himself was even offered the chance to reprise the role for the sequel, though he had to turn it down as he's too busy working on Ghostbusters 3. It's worth noting Rudd portrayed the character in a timeline that no longer exists, as last year's Halloween movie disregards every other sequel in the series. It would be a case of fun throwback casting, though it would still make sense for another actor to be cast in the role. It's also worth pointing out that even if the rumor is true, the sequels are still pretty early in development, and plans to bring in Tommy could change by the time principal photography begins.

In the original movie, Tommy Doyle was played by child actor Brian Andrews. Along with Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards), Tommy manages to survive Michael's rampage thanks to the efforts of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). In the sixth movie, Paul Rudd takes over the role, which now sees Tommy as a reclusive adult obsessed with Michael. The character was never seen again as the next installment rebooted the story, writing out the events of Halloween 6. A young version of Tommy was then played by Skyler Gisondo in Rob Zombie's Halloween, and there was no sign of him in David Gordon Green's movie.

It's easy to see why two more sequels were given the green light. When Blumhouse's Halloween was released in the fall of last year, the movie shattered box office records, becoming the highest-grossing slasher movie of all time. It was then inevitable we'd see Michael Myers back on the big screen soon enough, and the studio is clearly hoping to repeat that same success at least two more times. It just might work, as all of the major players from before have also been confirmed to involved in the sequels. This includes David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, and both Michael Myers actors James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle.

For now, with no official confirmation coming from Blumhouse, it's best to chalk this one up as a rumor. Still, for longtime fans of the franchise, checking back in with Tommy Doyle in this new Halloween timeline does sound rather interesting, and it also makes one wonder which other characters might be returning as well. You can watch Halloween Kills when it premieres in theaters on Oct. 16, 2020, with Halloween Ends arriving the following year on Oct. 15, 2021. You can listen to Sneider and Kroll discuss the rumor on The Sneider Cut podcast.