Fans of the 1992 Candyman knew they were in for a treat once they heard the horror classic was being written by Jordan Peele. And now, it seems that the upcoming scream fest will function simultaneously as a standalone film and a spiritual sequel to the original.
Producer Ian Cooper explained in an interview:
“What we’re doing with Candyman and how Jordan is crafting it on the page is going to be very exciting and rewarding to audiences that haven’t seen the original film as well as people who’ve seen the original film. In a broad sense of the word, this film will stand alone if you’ve never heard of a film called Candyman and will dovetail in a pretty complicated and interesting way to the original. In short, I think this will really fit in with what we’re doing with Us and did with Get Out in a way that will be circuitous.”
This comment only adds more intrigue into what’s been a completely tight-lipped project thus far. Much like most of Peele’s work, the film has been shrouded in secrecy. Little is known about the movie as of now, aside from the fact that Tony Todd will return in some capacity and that toxic fandom will be a theme throughout. Production is expected to begin later this summer in Chicago,too, which is the same setting where the 1992 flick took place.
Teyonah Parris, fresh off of If Beale Street Could Talk, will reportedly play the girlfriend of an art dealer obsessed with the legend of Candyman. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will also star in an unspecified role, though director Nia DaCosta has shot down rumors that he’ll be playing the killer originally portrayed by Todd.
The 64-year-old horror icon has continually insisted that fans will enjoy the reboot and recently teased several applause-worthy moments that have us more excited than ever to see what Peele has in store. Thankfully, we don’t have long to wait to find out more, as Candyman is expected to hit theaters in early 2020.
