The forthcoming Child’s Play remake from MGM is nothing if not contentious.
Sure, it’s coming together at a brisk clip and will herald a modernized twist on the old Devil Doll formula – word is MGM and director Lars Klevberg are plotting a Stranger Things-esque spin which will see Chucky hail from an alternate dimension not unlike the Upside Down.
But according to sources close to ComicBook.com, this new-look Chucky will be introduced to the world as a “defective ‘Buddy doll’ whose programming code was hacked so that he has no limitations to learning and also violence.”
That’s certainly a major departure from the Devil Doll we know and fear, which began life when Brad Dourif’s serial killer invoked a voodoo spell so that his soul was tethered to a pint-sized toy.
Another rumored character description from ComicBook.com points to a “Chinese factory worker who commits suicide shortly after re-programming a Buddy doll to have no limitations.”
Again, this should be taken with a grain of salt; while screenwriter Tyler Burton Smith appears to have turned in a first draft of his Child’s Play remake, it’s far too early for MGM to divulge any specific character details when filming isn’t expected to begin until the fall.
What we do know for sure is that the studio’s drastic reinvention is moving forward without receiving the blessing of Don Mancini and fellow co-creator David Kirschner, who’ve been the creative driving force behind the Child’s Play franchise for decades. It’s no wonder they’re not best pleased by the studio’s approach – ditto for Child’s Play 2 star Christine Elise, who had some choice words about the entire ordeal only two weeks ago.