Horror remakes and reboots are all the rage these days, and with almost every single one performing exceptionally well at the box office, it only makes sense that the Bernard Rose-directed Candyman is now being brought back and given a fresh coat of paint.
As you may’ve heard, the so-hot-right-now Jordan Peele (Get Out) and his Monkeypaw Productions are all set to produce what’s being billed as a “spiritual sequel” to Rose’s cult horror movie from 1992, which itself is based on the Clive Barker short story, The Forbidden. Yes, that Clive Barker.
Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) has been locked in to direct from a screenplay by Peele and Win Rosenfeld, with the project eyeing a June 12th, 2020 release date. And while there’s no word on casting just yet, you have to wonder if original star Tony Todd will be involved in any way. We’re certainly hopeful that he will be, and in a recent interview with Syfy, he offered his thoughts on what Peele is cooking up for us.
“I have mixed feelings because I thought they were gonna make this 15 years ago,” the horror icon said. “If this had been 10 years ago when I had heard news, I would have been devastated. I would have fought for it. Now I’m in a different place.”
He continued, “I’ve got so many other options that even if they make it without me, which I doubt, the attention the new movie will create will lead folks back to the original [film] because people like to see the source material.”
Elsewhere in the interview, he spoke about what he hopes to see from the project, explaining:
“In 2018, I think there are a few neighborhoods that could use some Candyman justice, you know what I’m saying? I’m just happy that as an African-American man, that Candyman has once again been given the nod to enter people’s consciousness.”
Todd added, “I hope that they don’t dance around the relationship between Candyman and the love of his life, the reason for his death and that they are actually allowed to kiss. [Back then] it was rare that African-American male film stars got to kiss any of the white leading ladies they worked with. I’m just speaking my mind here.”
Of course, it’s still very, very early days for the Candyman remake – sorry, spiritual sequel – though with Jordan Peele overseeing things and a talented director like DaCosta behind the camera, we’ve certainly got high hopes for it. It has a lot to live up to, to be sure, as many people hold the original near and dear, but we’re pretty confident that the team will be able to churn something out that makes longtime fans – and Todd himself – happy.