In this episode of WTF Happened to this Celebrity, we look back on the life, career, and achievements of gifted actor Chris O’Donnell.

In the 90s, Chris O’Donnell was one of Hollywood’s most prominent young heartthrobs. Whether it was acting opposite Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman or playing a young D’Artagnan in the Disney version of The Three Musketeers, it can’t be denied that the movie that put his career into overdrive was Batman Forever. In it, O’Donnell reinvented the role of Batman’s ward and sidekick, Robin, for the nineties, with him an acrobatic badass that proved so popular that the next movie was Batman and Robin. And there is where things started to change, with Joel Schumacher’s sequel ridiculed. 

Even still, O’Donnell made a few good movies after, including the underrated rom-com The Bachelor and the terrific Martin Campbell action movie Vertical Limit. However, his career never regained the momentum it had in the nineties. Yet, despite everything, he later went onto a long run on NCIS: Los Angeles, so while his feature film career cratered, his career on the small screen flourished. Thankfully, there’s plenty of O’Donnell to go around, thanks to NCIS: Los Angeles, with the actor being an integral part of the show from 2009 to 2023. While O’Donnell’s NCIS character, G. Callen, neglects the actor’s elaborate sock-nunchuck skills, the role keeps O’Donnell in the mix of one of the most beloved procedurals on television.

What’s your favorite role of O’Donnell’s? Did you enjoy his run on Head Cases or his part as Dr. Finn Dandridge in the long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy? Do you think O’Donnell will return to the silver screen after conquering the television space? Is he the superior Robin? Let us know in the comments. 

In this episode of WTF Happened to this Celebrity, we look at his career ups and downs and appreciate one of the more underrated actors of his era.

The Halloween: Resurrection episode of WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? was Written by Eric Walkuski, Edited and Narrated by Tyler Nichols, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

You knew we’d have to tackle this one eventually, so let’s just hold hands and get through it together.

Halloween: Resurrection (watch it HERE). The two words combined are enough to send chills down the spines of even the most hardcore movie fans. It causes trick-r-treaters to cross to the other side of the street; it’s the movie your parents warned you about. It’s the movie where this happens. To watch it is to wonder how, as in, How did we get here? From the terrifyingly simple 1978 classic to this silly, slapdash goof. It has its defenders, I think, but most of us agree that it lives near the bottom of the barrel of the Halloween franchise – and maybe the horror genre itself. But we’re completists, and truth be told the hows and whys of Resurrection’s existence are much more interesting than the movie itself, so thanks in advance for logging into our chat room so we can all figure out WTF Happened to Halloween: Resurrection.

1998’s Halloween H20 was by and large a decent success for Dimension Films, not to mention a fitting conclusion to the saga of Laurie Strode and her evil brother Michael Myers. With a pretty definitive conclusion that saw the beheading of the masked antagonist, it looked as though we got that rare thing in the horror world: a satisfying conclusion to a franchise. But if we’re being honest, no one was naive enough to believe it would be the very end of The Shape, and thanks to the above-average box office haul for the modestly-budgeted film, a return from the grave was quickly brewing for Mr. Myers. Longtime producer Moustapha Akkad was never truly going to kill off his cash cow, and had even made sure they shot a scene during H20’s production that indicated Michael hadn’t actually died at the conclusion.

For her part, Jamie Lee Curtis was dismayed to learn another film was in the works and wanted no part of it, but eventually agreed to appear in it if she got killed off quickly in the first act. The producers’ initial idea was to have Laurie Strode commit suicide at the beginning of the film, but Curtis vetoed the idea immediately. In fact, it was allegedly her idea that the movie would open with Laurie in an asylum, and though the early scripts called for no more than a 30 second cameo from Curtis, she ended up shooting for four days on the picture before getting her death wish for Laurie.

But we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves. After H20, Moustapha Akkad and his producer Paul Freeman were looking for ways to keep the franchise going. Intriguingly, the guys at Dimension Films pitched the idea of a Halloween movie that didn’t feature Michael Myers at all, ala Season of the Witch. Unsurprisingly, Akkad rejected that concept, as the notion of making Halloween an anthology series had long ago been seen as a mistake. H20 scribe Robert Zappia supposedly came up with a pitch that was rejected, while Halloween 6 writer Daniel Farrands had pitched an idea subtitled Lord of the Dead that would actually see Laurie revealed as the killer at the end. No dice on that one either.

The producers toyed with the idea of bringing back Josh Hartnett’s John Tate at one point, while also looking to bring back LL Cool J’s surviving security guard character, but neither panned out. There was evidently some talk of bringing back Halloween 4 and 5 star Danielle Harris, but obviously that never came to fruition either. Enter director-screenwriter Larry Brand, who shared an agent with producer Paul Freeman. Brand had impressed Akkad with a spec script of his, prompting the Halloween godfather to ask him for any potential ideas he might have in regards to resurrecting Michael Myers. Brand divulged a concept he’d come up with years earlier involving a killer stalking people in a house that has been rigged with cameras – sort of The Real World with a murderer. Akkad responded positively to the concept and subsequently pitched it to Dimension. Soon enough, Brand received the greenlight to write the film, which would now take place not in some random hideaway but the legendary Myers house. This new Halloween would go on to have several titles, such as Halloween: The Homecoming, H2K: Evil Never Dies, and believe it or not, Halloween: MichaelMyers.com. You have to love the early 2000s.

In any event, because the producers wanted to make it clear Myers was returning, ultimately the subtitle Resurrection was landed upon. It would open with the revelation that Myers had put his mask on a hapless paramedic at the last minute, an idea hatched by H20’s co-writer Kevin Williamson during the production of that film. After Michael successfully finds Laurie and dispatches her, he’s off to Haddonfield yet again to return home, only to find it’s now the scene of a reality show where contestants roam the hallways of his onetime abode. Of course, he has no choice but to dispatch the obnoxious participants of said reality show, making this the first time in the franchise the audience and Michael Myers are on the same page.

To direct the film, the producers went to TV director Whitney Ransick, who turned it down, as well as Halloween 4 helmer Dwight Little, who also rejected the offer. Ultimately, the decision was made to bring aboard Rick Rosenthal, who directed Halloween II some twenty years earlier. Incidentally, Rosenthal’s Halloween ties go deeper than that: he’s also the husband of actress Nancy Stephens, who portrayed Nurse Marion Chambers in Halloween, Halloween II, and Halloween H20, in which her character was finally killed off. Rosenthal hadn’t directed much horror since Part II – if you don’t count The Birds II that is – but he’d done plenty of television work throughout the years and could jump back into the series with ease. He would also insert himself into the proceedings with a cameo as a professor toward the beginning of the film.

Production commenced in May 2001 in Vancouver, where a convincing replica of the Myers house was built on a soundstage, with appropriate aging and distress over twenty years. Of course, when you watch the movie it seems like the interior of it belongs to a house about three times bigger than the exterior would suggest, but that’s a different story.

Who would be playing the victims of the Shape? As mentioned, the studio wanted to bring back LL Cool J since the general audience responded so well to him, but the rapper-turned-actor was too busy, or maybe just ready to move on. Sensing that the same quote-unquote urban audience that helped make H20 a hit would respond to another hip hop star in a leading role, the producers set about finding their next unconventional star. “Gangsta’s Paradise” singer Coolio was brought in to audition for the film, but ultimately, they settled on New York’s own Busta Rhymes, at the time one of hip hop’s most prolific entertainers. Helpfully, Busta also had some acting experience, having appeared in John Singleton’s Higher Learning and Shaft… Rhymes would end up improvising a great deal of his dialogue on set, bringing what you have to admit is an infectious energy to the character of Freddy.

The final girl character, Sara, was to be played by Australian actress Jacinda Barrett, who’d had a supporting role in Urban Legends: Final Cut. But before filming began, Barrett dropped out to join a television show, so the role went to Bianca Kajlich, who had already been cast as Sara’s perky best friend, Jen Danzig. After Kajlich pivoted to the lead role, actress Katee Sackhoff, who’d been cast as sultry Donna, was moved over to the Jen Danzig part. An interesting tidbit about Ms. Kajlich: she apparently cannot scream which is a fascinating phenomenon in its own right, but especially troublesome for the lead in a horror movie. Hence, all her screams had to be added in during post-production.

Playing Michael Myers this time was professional stuntman Brad Loree, taking over for Chris Durand who portrayed the Shape in H20. Loree was called by one of the people at Dimension asking if he’d be willing to try out for Michael Myers’ stunt double. Not being a big horror fan, Loree initially thought they meant the comedian Mike Myers, which he thought was rather odd. When it became obvious that it was the masked maniac, Loree auditioned for Rick Rosenthal and the film’s producers simply by walking in a straight line, mimicking the Shape’s infamous gait. Before he knew it, Loree was told he wasn’t just going to be a stunt guy but Michael Myers himself, and he’d have to go to L.A. to get a head-cast done for the mask.

Production in Vancouver lasted approximately five weeks, with another week of reshoots eventually added on. As is often the case, it was apparently not easy working with the Weinstein brothers on the show, as they’d constantly demand rewrites and reshoots on the film. A new ending was thought up seemingly every other day, and the production ended up shooting four different finales. Trying to make the best of it, Rosenthal thought they should release all four versions of the film theatrically, with the audience unaware which ending they’d be getting, but that idea was obviously not very practical.

One notable deleted scene involved the death of Tyra Banks’ character, Nora, who is Freddie’s right-hand woman. Nora’s death by strangulation was filmed but later cut from the final product because it was thought there should be a scene where a character you didn’t realize was dead is discovered by the hero. Still, publicity shots released before the movie clearly show Michael Myers ready to pounce Nora from behind.

Editing the film was a challenge in general. All of the cameras the actors are seen wearing were actually recording, and the post-production team found themselves with some 20-plus hours of video footage. Editing that and making it coalesce with the objective 35mm footage proved to be difficult. A 40-minute cut of exclusively webcam footage titled Halloween: Resurrection – WebCam Special can be viewed on the Blu-ray or on YouTube… And… honestly? As its own mini-found footage horror flick, it’s not bad. It certainly beats Resurrection in terms of effectiveness.

The film was originally meant to be released in September of 2001, but delays pushed that date back to April 2002. Thanks to reshoots, it was pushed back further, this time to July 12th, marking the first and only time a Halloween film would be released in July. The posters for the film prominently display a short-haired Jamie Lee Curtis, looking exactly like she did in H20 but a far cry from her appearance in Resurrection.

It was a busy weekend at the movies, with the second weekend of Men in Black II, and the openings of Road to Perdition and Reign of Fire all competing with Resurrection for filmgoers’ attention – and money. The movie got off to an adequate start, making $12 million opening weekend in just under 2,000 theaters, but the next weekend saw it drop over 55%, then another $51% the following weekend. All in all, it made $30 million at the domestic box office, a less impressive number than H20’s $52 million. Its budget was reportedly around $15 million, so the film likely eeked out a profit thanks to home video, but the damage to the good Myers name had been done in with one swift kick from Busta Rhymes.

Of course, there would be no sequel to Resurrection, it being the official end to that particular timeline in the Halloween franchise. Five years later, Michael would get a drastically different look thanks to Rob Zombie and his Halloween reboot, but that’s a topic for a different show.

In recent years, both Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter have expressed, let’s say, distaste for how Resurrection turned out, with Curtis referring to it as a “joke.” For his part, Carpenter had this eloquent reaction to it, quote, “Oh my god. Oh lord, god. What the hell? I couldn’t believe it.” End quote… He speaks for plenty of us.

If nothing else, Halloween: Resurrection always gives us horror fans plenty to laugh about whenever spooky season comes around. Indeed, in its own way, it’s an unforgettable entry in the genre, so it will always have that going for it. And that’s about as much as we can say for it.

Also: Happy Halloween, motherf-ckers!

A couple of the previous episodes of WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? can be seen below. To see more, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!

The newest entry in the Conjuring universe from Michael Chaves isn’t expected to surpass the original, and Thursday numbers already reflect estimates.

Let the fall movie season commence! Kids are back in school, leaves are turning brown, Spirit Halloween stores are in full swing, and it is time to get audiences ready for the spookiest time of the year. While Hollywood had been trying to replicate the success of Marvel Studio’s shared universe concept, James Wan has lowkey created his own shared universe within the horror community with the Conjuring series and spin-offs. The newest entry in the world of hauntings premieres this weekend as The Nun 2 makes its debut in theaters.

Deadline is reporting that the demon in the habit has opened with $3.1 million in advanced preview Thursday screenings in 3,200 theaters. Although the mid-budget movies tend to become modest enough hits, this entry is not expected to best the first movie’s record-breaking total of $53.8 million. The Nun 2 is still estimated to jump-start its run with just over $30 million. The Nun‘s Thursday previews back in 2018 earned $5.4 million in its Thursday previews, then the Friday totals would bring in $22 million. Michael Chaves, who directed the installments The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and The Curse of La Llorona, takes over for directing duties on The Nun 2 from Corin Hardy.

The plot is set in 1956 France. A priest is murdered. An evil is spreading. The sequel to the worldwide smash hit follows Sister Irene as she once again comes face-to-face with Valak, the demon nun.

In our own review by Tyler Nichols, the horror film was received pretty lukewarm, saying, “This follows many of the same beats as the original and doesn’t do much outside of what you would expect. The CGI is improved in spots, but some moments will still have you shaking your head. However, if you’re just going into this wanting some tension-filled jump scares and great visuals, there are worse ways to spend a Friday night.”

Earlier this summer, another James Wan horror property recently became the highest-grossing in its respective franchise as Insidious: The Red Door reached a worldwide gross of $188,050,932. This installment left the previous record holder, Insidious: The Last Key‘s final count of $172,811,971 in the dust. That franchise additionally featured the directorial debut of its star, Patrick Wilson.

An image gallery gives a look at the upcoming Goosebumps TV series, which draws inspiration from five books written by R.L. Stine

It has been said that the live-action TV series based on the Goosebumps books written by R.L. Stine that’s coming to the Disney+ and Hulu streaming services next month (to be exact, it’s scheduled to premiere on Friday, October 13th) draws inspiration from five of Stine’s Goosebumps stories. Now, thanks to a newly unveiled image gallery, we know which five books those are: Say Cheese and Die!, The Haunted Mask, The Cuckoo Clock of Doom, Go Eat Worms!, and Night of the Living Dummy. You can take a look at the images at the bottom of this article.

The first five episodes of the show’s ten episode first season will be available to watch on Disney+ and Hulu as of October 13th, premiering as part of Disney+’s “Hallowstream” and Hulu’s “Huluween” celebrations. The remaining five episodes will be released on a weekly basis. And if you want to watch the first two episodes on TV instead of on a streamer, they’ll also be airing on Freeform on October 13th, part of the channel’s 31 Nights of Halloween” programming.

This Goosebumps series centers on a group of five high schoolers as they embark on a shadowy and twisted journey to investigate the tragic passing three decades earlier of a teen named Harold Biddle — while also unearthing dark secrets from their parents’ past.

The show’s cast includes Ana Yi Puig (Senior Year), Miles McKenna (Nocturne), Will Price (The Equalizer), Justin Long (Tusk), Zack Morris (EastEnders), Isa Briones (Star Trek: Picard), and Rachael Harris (Lucifer).

Ana Yi Puig is playing Isabella, who is “smart and naturally shy with an overwhelming sense of responsibility.” McKenna’s character is James, “the class clown who loves the spotlight and hails from one of the wealthiest families in Port Lawrence.” Price is Jeff, “the rebellious skateboarder who is grappling with the untimely death of his daredevil father.” Long’s character is Nathan Bratt, “the new schoolteacher who develops a terrifying connection to a decades-old supernatural murder.” Morris takes on the role of Isaiah, “a popular star football player whose financial struggles at home, has him and his family banking on his athleticism to secure him a full ride to college.” Briones is playing Jane, who “typically has her head in a book, causing her classmates to think she is a snob but she is just laser focused on her writing and creating a life that is interesting enough for a memoir.” Harris’s character is Nora, “Jeff’s mother and an unassuming waitress at a local café that dabbles in sorcery.”

Rob Letterman, who directed the first Goosebumps movie, created this series with Nick Stoller, and Kevin Murphy serves as showrunner. Stoller is executive producing the show through his company Stoller Global Solutions. Letterman and Murphy are also executive producing Goosebumps alongside Neal H. Moritz and Pavun Shetty of Original Film, Conor Welch of Stoller Global Solutions, Erin O’Malley, and Iole Lucchese and Caitlin Friedman of Scholastic Entertainment. Julia Ruchman, James Eagan, and Nick Adams are writing and co-executive producing. The show is coming to us from Sony Pictures Television Studios.

Disney’s Ayo Davis provided the following statement: “R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps franchise is a pop culture phenomenon that holds a special place in the hearts of people of all ages. We are delighted to bring this spooky new series to audiences everywhere in a big way on Disney+ and Hulu, which we hope will not only captivate new audiences with its elevated thrills and chills, but also lifelong fans nostalgic for the stories that are a staple of their generation.“

Will you be watching this new Goosebumps series? What do you think of it drawing inspiration from the five books named above? Let us know by leaving a comment below… and while you’re scrolling down, check out this image gallery:

The Batman ’89 Live Concert Tour, featuring a live performance of Danny Elfman’s enigmatic score, goes global in 2024!

Send your evening wear to the cleaners, and don’t walk down Crime Alley on your way to the theater because TCG Entertainment with Warner Bros. Discovery Themed Entertainment and DC will bring music from Tim Burton’s Batman to symphony halls around the globe in 2024! The Batman ’89 Live Concert Tour is part of the DC in Concert series, with the live performance combining the feature film with a live symphony orchestra playing every note of Danny Elfman’s acclaimed musical score.

The Batman concert tour celebrates the 35th anniversary of Tim Burton’s beloved film featuring Danny Elfman’s unforgettable score. The event starts in January 2024 in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theater and stops in twelve U.S. cities before hopping a Batplane to Europe. The concert’s official press release warns this isn’t your Grandma’s symphony, as DC in Concert attendees enjoy an enhanced concert experience with spectacular stage lighting, post-event autographs, merchandise sales, and more.

Released June 23, 1989, Warner Bros. Pictures’ DC superhero film “Batman” was the top-grossing film that year and has remained a fan-favorite for over three decades. The film was composer Danny Elfman’s first collaboration with director Tim Burton, and the score was later nominated for a Grammy award. The “Batman Theme” has become an iconic piece, evoking the Caped Crusader for many generations.

“Hot on the heels of our success with our first DC in Concert tour, we are excited to bring the classic 1989 ‘Batman’ and its acclaimed score to diehard fans and new generations for the film’s 35th anniversary,” said Stephen Cook, President, TCG Entertainment. “We create an unforgettable concert experience and are proud of the added creativity the DC in Concert series offers audiences to make the night an epic event.”

Pre-sale code sign-up starts today (Sept. 8) and lasts through Sept. 13, when the pre-sale tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. local time. General sale tickets will be available on Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. local time. Please visit www.DCFilmsinConcert.com to sign up, purchase tickets, and learn more about concert dates in cities nationwide.

For 2024, Batman from DC in Concert will visit the following cities for one night only, with more dates to come:

1/13/24 Los Angeles, CA Dolby Theater

1/19/24 Washington, DC Warner Theater

1/20/24 Tampa, FL Straz Center

1/21/24 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theater

1/27/24 San Antonio, TX Majestic Theater

2/2/24 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Center

2/3/24 Conway, AR Reynolds Hall

2/24/24 Flint, MI Whiting Auditorium

3/2/24 Newark, NJ NJPAC

3/9/24 Orlando, FL Dr. Phillips Hall

3/30/24 Portland, OR Keller Auditorium

4/27/24 Kansas City, MO Kansas City Music Hall

5/24/24 Paris, FR Le Grand Rex France

5/26/24 London, UK Barbican Center

If you want to attend the Batman ’89 Live Concert Tour, I would jump on tickets the second they go on sale. Seats are sure to fill up fast, and you don’t want to be left in the dark for this special event.

The nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb is getting the horror movie treatment this October, and a trailer for the film is now online

Winnie the Pooh (Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and its upcoming sequel), Bambi and Peter Pan (Bambi: The Reckoning and Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare), Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty (Cinderella’s Curse, Cinderella’s Revenge, and Sleeping Beauty’s Massacre), Goldilocks (Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Death and Porridge), The Grinch (The Mean One)… if a character was featured in a children’s story or a nursery rhyme, chances are they’re going find themselves dropped into a horror movie these days. The latest in this line-up of fractured fairy tales is a horror movie about Mary and her little lamb, from the Mary Had a Little Lamb nursery rhyme. The horror twist on that nursery rhyme will be receiving a DVD and Digital release on October 3rd, and with that date swiftly approaching a trailer for the film has arrived online. You can check it out in the embed above.

Mary Had a Little Lamb was directed by Jason Arber, who has previously directed many short films and music videos. Arber has also worked in the animation and visual effects departments on films like Kick-Ass and Meg 2: The Trench. The screenplay was written by Harry Boxley, who also wrote Cinderella’s Curse and has projects coming down the line like Jack and Jill 3 and Curse of Humpty Dumpty 3 (did you know Jack, Jill, and Humpty Dumpty had their own horror franchises?).

This film has the following synopsis: A radio host and her crew set out to discover the truth behind some disappearances for a true crime show. They will soon learn that there is far more to discover when they meet Mary and her lamb. Who will make it out alive of this house of horrors?

May Kelly, Danielle Scott, and Christine Ann Nyland star.

Mary Had a Little Lamb is getting its DVD and Digital release courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment. The distributor’s Keith Leopard had this to say: “Campy and fun, with terrific special and visual effects, we expect Mary Had a Little Lamb will be one of the most popular titles on our schedule. We can’t wait to hear what audiences this of this super fun horror film.”

What did you think of the Mary Had a Little Lamb trailer? Will you be watching this movie when it’s released next month? Let us know by leaving a comment below.