![]() ![]() His eleventh and last time in the director’s chair was for 2006’s direct-to-video Connor’s War. In 2004, he was entrusted to direct another Black-led film The Seat Filler. That same year he directed Bryan Cranston in the Disney Channel’s ‘Twas the Night, a Christmas film that still airs on the network every December. It didn’t receive much attention, but Castle got to work with Anton Yelchin, Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott, and Albert Finney. In 2001, he helmed the independent film Delivering Milo. The big studios were gone but the jobs and the big-name talent were not. It would be five more years before Castle directed another film. Even if it didn’t work, it’s a success simply for existing, because Castle was so respected for the accomplishments of his last two comedies, that once again he got a big studio film and was trusted to be the one to guide star-in-the-making DeGeneres. ![]() Wrong, a romantic comedy so bad that it would be Ellen DeGeneres’ one and only lead film role. That would end up being the peak of Castle’s success. A constant staple of cable television in the 1990s, most movie fans of a certain age have come across Major Payne at some point during their younger years. It’s probably the movie of his you know best, though. While it opened up at number two at the box office, it didn’t quite reach the haul of his previous film. It was funny and crass, but also edgy and a worthwhile satire of past military films. If kids were the target for Dennis the Menace, teens were the ones who ate up this Damon Wayans comedy about a crazed military officer. It was a kid’s film: They loved it - that’s all that mattered. The ones who wrote the reviews in your local newspaper may not have enjoyed it, but it wasn’t for them. Written by John Hughes, this comic adaptation was critically panned, but its $117 million worldwide gross on a $35 million budget would make it Castle’s biggest directorial success. In 1993, he got to work with the legendary Walter Matthau in Dennis the Menace. Through disappointment, Castle’s career continued. That’s right, the man whose most famous role saw him not say a word, can sing. John Carpenter directed this one of course, but when you listen to the theme song, that’s Castle playing the keys and belting out most of the lyrics as part of The Coupe de Villes, a band he played in with Carpenter and frequent collaborator Tommy Lee Wallace. Nothing shows this more than Big Trouble in Little China. His energetic style and focus on not only the story but knowing how simply the look and feel of a film will pull in the audience kept Tap from becoming an imitation of movies that had come before.Ĭastle’s films may have started to head down a more mature and serious route, but he could still have fun. Led by a predominantly Black cast, Castle also wrote this film about a tap-dancing ex-convict. In 1989 came his fourth film, the dance drama Tap, starring Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr. He took the themes seriously without being patronizing. What could have come across as cringe-worthy sap in the wrong hands was handled deftly by Castle. The Boy Who Could Fly, a fantastical film about a girl and an autistic boy both going through the death of parents, has a deep message about grief and how we cope with loss. ![]() It remains to be seen how well received the final two Halloween movies will be, but Castle's involvement is one way in which the films work to honor the franchise's history.Castle would move on to more dramatic fare with his follow-ups. Even if his Halloween Kills cameo gets cut from the final version of the movie, it's no doubt special to both Castle and the fans to have the actor that originally brought Michael Myers to life involved in these new movies. It seems Castle's time in the Halloween universe isn't over yet, either, as the actor will return to the Michael Myers role again in Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, though they'll be brief. Considering Castle only donned the mask once again for a single scene, and it's sure to have been much easier to film than the rain scene in the 1978 movie, that no doubt helped convince the actor to return. His willingness to return for David Gordon Green's Halloween reboot further proves his willingness to return to the role - even in a limited capacity. He may have been masked in both the original movie and the reboot, but that doesn't negate the weight of the accomplishment. After all, his Michael Myers made horror film history. Despite how uncomfortable - and downright painful - the scene must've been to shoot, it's unlikely Castle's one regret left him with any bad feelings about the Halloween franchise. ![]()
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