Jordan Peele's 'Candyman' Film Is Officially Happening

The "spiritual sequel" to the horror classic will arrive in 2020

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Nov 27, 2018

Earlier this year, rumours emerged that Get Out director Jordan Peele would be rebooting the classic '90s horror flick Candyman. Well, it turns out the rumours were true, and the project has officially been announced.

Today it was confirmed that MGM is partnering with Peele's Monkeypaw Productions to produce a new Candyman film. Peele and his Monkeypaw partner Win Rosenfeld will be penning the screenplay, while Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) will direct.

The new Candyman is being billed as a "spiritual sequel" to the original 1992 horror classic, which was adapted from Clive Barker's short story The Forbidden. As Deadline reports, the film will return to where the legend of the Candyman began — a now-gentrified section of Chicago where the Cabrini-Green housing projects once stood.

To refresh your memory, Candyman featured its titular character — originally played by Tony Todd — who was an artist and the son of a slave who had his hand severed and was then murdered with bees by his lover's father. To summon the Candyman, you had to say his name five times while looking into a mirror.

In a statement, 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 filmmaker — and to have a bold new talent like Nia at the helm of this project is truly exciting. We are honoured to bring the next chapter in the Candyman canon to life and eager to provide new audiences with an entry point to Clive Barker's legend."

The upcoming Candyman film will starting shooting this spring, and it will be released on June 12, 2020.
 

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