The Child’s Play franchise is returning to cinemas next year for a reboot, something that’s upset longtime fans of the horror series – as well as creator Don Mancini himself. However, due to the rights being split between Universal and MGM, Mancini’s able to continue working with the original continuity of the franchise via an upcoming TV show.
The Child’s Play series will follow the narrative of the previous films – yes, Brad Dourif will return to voice Chucky – and is expected to have an 8-part first season. While speaking on the Post Mortem podcast, Mancini explained why he’s decided to expand the franchise onto the small screen, citing the extra space you get from multiple episodes as a big reason for the jump across platforms.
“From having worked on Hannibal and Channel Zero, I just really enjoyed it, and I saw an opportunity to reinvent the franchise yet again. We’ve reinvented it in different ways, by making it a comedy and then back to horror… but the sheer storytelling real estate that doing 8-to-10 episodes gives us will allow us to delve into characters and relationships in a way that we’re never afforded in just a 90 minute movie. That’s really exciting to me.”
So, what can we actually expect to see in the show? Well, Mancini promises that he’s going to use the episodic storytelling to dive into the stuff that fans have been asking him about for years. In particular, he teased that we may dig into the past of Chucky’s bride Tiffany and see what happened to their kids Glen and Glenda, last seen in Seed of Chucky.
“So we’re gonna be able to explore different avenues, with different characters, that are among fan favorites. Ya know, a lot of times people will say, ‘I’d love to see… what’s Tiffany’s backstory? And what about Glen and Glenda?’ All these different avenues… now we have a way of exploring all of this. And that’s really exciting.”
Finally, he’s also enthusiastic about getting the chance to bring fresh voices on board to help him carve out the next stage in the life of the crazed killer doll.
“But I’m also excited about inviting new voices into the process. I am really excited about inviting other very talented writers and seeing what they’ll bring into it.”
As for the remake, 2019’s Child’s Play will reimagine Chucky as an A.I. doll that pulls a Westworld and turns against its human owners. Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman and Brian Tyree Henry star, and it’s due to arrive in theaters on June 21st in a tongue-in-cheek move, as it’s the same day as Toy Story 4.
