Jordan Peele to Co-Write a Contemporary Sequel to Horror Classic ‘Candyman’
Filmmaker Jordan Peele has found his next project. Peele and Win Rosenfeld from Monkeypaw Productions will be teaming up with Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures (MGM) to produce a reimagined reboot of the classic horror flick Candyman. The news had been rumored for a long time, however, the official announcement was made on Tuesday by Jonathan Glickman, MGM’s Presiden, Motion Picture Group.
The production has tapped rising filmmaker Nia DaCosta to direct the screenplay penned by Peele and Rosenfeld. DaCosta made her directorial debut with 2018’s Little Woods starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James. The film premiered earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival and earned her the coveted Nora Ephron Award.
Based on the 1992 Clive Barker short story The Forbidden, the new take on the classic film is being called a “spiritual sequel” to the original. According to the press release, “the film will return to the neighborhood where the legend began: the now-gentrified section of Chicago where the Cabrini-Green housing projects once stood.”
Jonathan Glickman expressed MGM’s excitement about the project by saying, “We cannot wait for the world to see what the mind-blowing combination of Jordan, Win, and Nia bring to the legend of Candyman. They have created a story that will not only pay reverence to Clive Barker’s haunting and brilliant source material but is also thoroughly modern and will bring in a whole new generation of fans.”
Jordan Peele revealed that the original film has always been an inspiration of his and echoed Glickman’s excitement by saying, “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 a filmmaker — and to have a bold new talent like Nia at the helm of this project is truly exciting. We are honored 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.”
Production is expected to begin Spring 2019. The reimagined Candyman will hit theaters nationwide on June 12, 2020.
What do you think about Candyman getting a reboot? let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
A karaoke obsessed, craft beer enthusiast and lover of all things pop culture, Denise enjoys all facets of entertainment from Broadway to box office blockbusters. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, concerts (lots and lots of concerts), volunteering, reading and playing with her rescue kitten, Samantha (who rescued who, right?).
