When you think about the full scope of the Chucky franchise, it can be said that there are four connected branches of the canon. The first is the Andy Barclay Trilogy a.k.a. Child’s Play 1-3; the second is the duology of Bride Of Chucky and Seed Of Chucky; the third is the Nica Pierce story a.k.a. Curse Of Chucky and Cult Of Chucky; and the fourth is the Chucky TV series (which is also kind of the trunk of the continuity tree in this metaphor given how it connects everything together). It’s successfully both simple and complex… and if things go according to plan, we may see a fifth branch soon growing in the future.
With Chucky Season 3.5 premiering tonight (the season split in half due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes), I had the extreme pleasure of interviewing franchise creator Don Mancini earlier this week, and one of the many subjects we touched on in our lengthy conversation was the new Chucky movie he is currently writing. I asked if the new feature was going to be an extension of the show or its own separate thing, and he explained that it’s a bit of a blend. Said Mancini,
A little of both. I mean, it's its own distinct thing, and I can't say too much about it, but it would work in tandem with the show, if the show continues – and I certainly hope that's the case; that's the dream scenario. But it will also work without that. It is its own distinct story and concept and sort of milieu. But it works in tandem with the whole universe.
Based on this comment, it sounds like the untitled new Chucky movie won’t be ignoring the wild events that are transpiring on the small screen (and Chucky Season 3.5 is WILD), but it will feature its own independent narrative that won’t treat the series like need-to-know material. Of course, that will then open up the opportunity for the characters in the feature to appear on the show in the aftermath (assuming that any/some of them survive).
Nothing is set in stone yet with either the movie or the future of the show, but Don Mancini has high hopes:
Fingers crossed that our plans to take over the world go unabated!
We will remain optimistic that the Chucky franchise continues to grow and grow in the future – but not to be ignored is the excellence that fans are being served right now. The first half of Chucky Season 3 provided fans with the best run of episodes yet, and having already seen all four of the episodes that will be airing in the coming weeks, I can tell you that it brilliantly sticks the landing and has many, many surprises on the way. It takes bigger swings than any previous Chucky story has going back to 1988, and it’s phenomenal.
New episodes from Chucky Season 3.5 are premiering in the next four weeks on Wednesdays at 10pm/9pm Central, and you can watch them on either SyFy or USA. And if you miss an episode, all you need is a Peacock subscription to stream it the very next day. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss it – and be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend over the next month for many more stories from my interview with Don Mancini.
