Based on the atmospheric trailers, the Candyman reboot was set to pull in some big numbers at the box office last year as one of the most hotly anticipated horror movies on the calendar. Not much has changed in that regard, of course, besides the fact that it was delayed by thirteen months as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, and is now scheduled to debut on August 27th.
We’ve been waiting so long to hear the title character’s name spoken into a mirror three times since filming wrapped in September 2019, that the vast majority of the key players on either side of the camera have moved onto much bigger things. Director Nia DaCosta signed on to helm the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain Marvel 2, where she’ll be joined by Candyman star Teyonah Parris, who can currently be seen on Disney Plus as WandaVision‘s Monica Rambeau.
Leading man Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, meanwhile, has since completed work on The Matrix 4 and is now shooting Michael Bay’s action thriller Ambulance opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, while co-star Colman Domingo has lent support in Netflix’s acclaimed drama and awards season contender Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
There was talk last summer that Candyman could end up getting simultaneous release in theaters and on VOD, but that no longer appears to be the case, and Domingo is adamant that the supernatural chiller deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible.
“It does need to be on a big screen, I believe that. Nia DaCosta directed something that is really epic and it’s really visually stunning, and I think you need to be in an audience and be shocked and at the same time, and laugh at the same time, and go ‘oh’ at the same time.”
Based solely on the talent mentioned above, as well as horror maestro Jordan Peele’s presence as producer and co-writer, Candyman is shaping up to be something pretty special when it finally makes it into theaters, scaring audiences around the world out of their seats and sending popcorn flying everywhere, hopefully just like it was in the old days.