With Chucky, Jason Vorhees, Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers all making returns to the big screen, it’s not surprising that a remake of Bernard Rose’s Candyman is being discussed. But it’s the name attached to the project that’s got fans of the genre excited.
Writer/director Jordan Peele is being tapped to produce the new Candyman film. After receiving considerable acclaim and an Oscar win for his work on Get Out, Peele has become one of the most talked about creatives in Hollywood.
Candyman is based on horror icon Clive Barker‘s short story The Forbidden from his Books of Blood collection, and is easily the most well-known of said adaptations. The original film was released in 1992 and was followed by two direct-to-video sequels in 1995 and 1999. And now that the film rights are once again available, Peele and his production company (Monkeypaw Productions) are currently in talks to produce the remake – with the possibility of directing.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, the original movie follows Helen Lyle, a graduate student who learns about the urban legend of Candyman – the killer with a hook for a right hand who can be summoned by saying his name five times in front of a mirror. Helen unwisely does just that and sure enough, the Candyman is unleashed on the world. Presumably, this back-story would be kept intact for the remake, but it will be interesting to see how the new version of the story could differ from its predecessor.
The original Candyman is set to get a limited edition Blu-ray release this October.
