'Goosebumps 2' TV Spot Confirms The Return Of A Familiar Face From The First Movie

A new Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween TV spot lets the cat out of the bag and confirms the surprise appearance of a familiar face from the first film. While this shouldn't be considered a spoiler now that it's in the marketing, we're erring on the side of caution and being vague! But you can probably guess who it is. Watch the Goosebumps 2 TV spot below to learn the answer.

Who should appear midway through the new Goosebumps 2 TV spot above but Jack Black, back again as famed children's horror author R.L. Stine. This is a pretty big surprise, and I'm shocked Goosebumps 2 decided to throw in the towel and give it away. It was assumed by all that Black wasn't returning for the sequel.

When Goosebumps 2 geared up for production, there were two scripts at the ready: one that featured Black's R.L. Stine, and one that didn't. At the time, scheduling difficulties were cited as hampering Black's return. There was no mention of Black's return as the film started filming, and the actor hasn't been featured in any marketing material.

Until now.

So what happened? Why did Goosebumps 2 decide to give away the game? My guess: common sense prevailed. While keeping Black a secret until the film's release would've been fun, producers likely realized that it wouldn't hurt to reveal his presence at this point. The buzz surrounding Goosebumps 2 has been muted, to say the least, so revealing a little bit of star power might give the film a boost. Plus, over the weekend, The House with a Clock in its Walls, a very Goosebumps-like film that stars Black, ended up winning the box office. It's likely someone involved with Goosebumps 2 took a look at those box office returns and reasoned that it was time to reveal that Black was also in this film.

All that said, it's likely Black's part in the sequel is small – perhaps little more than an extended cameo. If Black had a bigger role to play here, we likely would've learned about it by now. Then again, who knows what other secrets Goosebumps 2 has up its sleeve?

In the small town of Wardenclyffe on Halloween Night, two boys named Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and Sam (Caleel Harris) find a manuscript in an abandoned house that was previously owned by R. L. Stine called "Haunted Halloween." When they open it, they release Slappy (Avery Lee Jones) who plans to create the Halloween Apocalypse with the help of his Halloween monster allies.

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween opens October 12, 2018.