We’re certainly excited about the upcoming Chucky television series, which will extend the continuity of the original Child’s Play franchise. Following a recent teaser and confirmation that Brad Dourif will be returning to voice the killer doll, producer Nick Antosca has now promised that fans of the long-running horror-comedy property will be more than satisfied with the new program.
Antosca, who was being interviewed by io9 about his work on Channel Zero, also took the time to praise the direction for Chucky, and how well it fits in with showrunner Don Mancini’s vision.
“Don wrote an awesome show. He’s showrunning it, and he had a great writer’s room. I’m cautious about talking details, but we’re working on it every day. As a Chucky fan, I’ll just say I’m over the moon that Brad Dourif is back as Chucky, as well as some other familiar characters, and that I think fans are going to love where Don is taking it — and new audiences as well. It’s scary, it’s really funny, and it’s very smart. Nobody knows Chucky better than he does, and he’s pushing the boundaries yet again. I can’t wait for everyone to see it next year.”
The comments about “pushing the boundaries” of the world of Child’s Play references what we already know about the show, including that many characters from the seven movies from 1988 to 2017 will be making appearances. Furthermore, Chucky will pick up on the mythology that Mancini had developed with 2013’s Curse of Chucky, and 2017’s Cult of Chucky, while also not holding back in terms of language.
The plot of the new production focuses on events in a small town wherein a vintage Good Guy doll appears in a suburban yard sale, leading to killings and the involvement of figures from Chucky’s past. We’ll also apparently be getting a look at Charles Lee Ray’s childhood, and some of the events that shaped his identity prior to becoming a serial killer and possessed doll.
Chucky is set to run on Syfy and the USA Network, with a current release date of 2021, at least according to the recent promo. We’re particularly keen to see how the relatively brief action of the Child’s Play features translates to a serialized format, and whether Mancini and co. can pull off telling a more ambitious story. In addition, we’ll reportedly be getting a sequel to the 2019 remake, which managed to actually be pretty good, considering the departures it took from the original premise.
