Another horror classic is making its return to the big screen this summer. Candyman — a “spiritual sequel” to the 1992 horror of the same — will reportedly have Tony Todd reprise his role as the titular supernatural serial killer, with Teyonah Parris (If Beale Street Could Talk) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Us) starring alongside him. So far so good.
The project is directed by Top Boy’s Nia DaCosta and written by Jordan Peele and Win Roselfeld. Jordan, who is also producing the film, has a strong track record with horror now, after 2017’s Get Out and 2019’s Us. In a 2018 interview with Nightmare on Film Street, Tony Todd voiced his support for the acclaimed filmmaker’s involvement in the project: “I’d rather have him do it, someone with intelligence, who’s going to be thoughtful and dig into the whole racial makeup of who Candyman is and why he existed in the first place.”
The new film will be set in the same place as the original — the infamous Cabrini-Green housing projects — and will similarly explore issues of historical and modern racism in the gentrified Chicago neighbourhood. The 1992 film, based on a short story called The Forbidden by Clive Barker, told the story of a student who puts herself in the path of the murderous Candyman while researching urban legends.
In a press release about the film, Jordan Peele said: “The original was a landmark film for black representation in the horror genre. Alongside Night of the Living Dead, Candyman was a major inspiration for me as a filmmaker — and to have a bold new talent like Nia at the helm of this project is truly exciting.”
Candyman has been scheduled for release 12 June this year. UPDATE: Watch the first official below.