There’s a swarm of horror remakes on the way, and Get Out and Us filmmaker Jordan Peele has summoned Candyman to be among them. The “spiritual sequel” to the 1992 classic has been in development for months ahead of its 2020 release date. Now, it looks like the film has eyed the actor at the center of the original franchise: Tony Todd.
While Tony Todd was at Nickel City Con in New York, he disclosed some exciting details about his role in the upcoming film with these words:
Out of the blue I got a phone call from Jordan Peele. We’re still waiting for the contract, but the way he explained it to me was that it’s gonna be applause-worthy moments. That’s his words. No matter what happens with that, it’s gonna just put renewed attention on the original.
This is exciting!! Almost 30 years after first appearing as Candyman in the ‘90s horror film, Tony Todd will in fact be returning to the franchise this time under Jordan Peele’s vision. In addition to Peele being a producer and co-writer on the film, Little Woods’ Nia DaCosta is tapped to direct and Aquaman’s Black Manta, Yahya Abdul Mateen II, has been cast in the lead role.
Tony Todd’s words to Sofa King Cool Magazine emphasize “applause-worthy moments,” which could be taken many ways, but my best guess is he’ll have a nostalgic part in the movie. Considering Jordan Peele’s previous work with the genre, he likes to offer original horror entries.
Additionally, the filmmaker is big on fan service, often hiding in easter eggs to other classics and developing stories to get people talking. For those who loved the original, it’s a natural choice for Peele to bring in Tony Todd back.
Candyman is a film that Jordan Peele attributes as an influence to his love of horror and his own filmmaking, and the movie certainly has components that fit right into his wheelhouse as well. The movie follows Helen Lyle, a grad student who is researching a myth of the Candyman when she accidentally summons him by saying his name into a mirror five times.
Tony Todd plays the movie’s villain, who was previously the son of a slave in love with a white woman. His lover’s father set a lynch mob upon him who brutally cut off his hand, replaced it with a hook and smeared honey on him, attracting hundreds of bees who sting him to death. Once Helen summons him, he haunts the Cabrini-Green housing project in Chicago.
The upcoming film will be set in the same neighborhood, but it has since become gentrified. Tony Todd has previously showed his support for Peele being a part of the remake, expressing how he feels he has the intelligence to tell the story dripping with racial commentary. The actor is also excited to see the original get additional attention as the new film sparks interest when it hits theaters on June 12, 2020.
