A ‘Candyman’ Remake Could Be Coming From Jordan Peele
ActorTony Toddwas already well-known before starring in Bernard Rose’s 1992 filmCandyman, but his performance in that film turned him into a horror movie legend. A supernatural killer with a tragic backstory, the imposing Candyman could be summoned by saying his name five times into a mirror.
Now, a new report says that Oscar winnerJordan Peele(Get Out) is in talks to produce aCandymanremake – and there’s even a chance he could direct it.
It took years for me to work up the courage to watchCandyman. The VHS box art, which features a bee crawling into a person’s eye with the dark silhouette ofTony Toddas the title character replacing the eye’s pupil, was enough to give me nightmares as a kid. But when I finally checked it out, I was surprised to find that this is more than just a riff on Bloody Mary – it also had a lot to say about class and race.
Bloody-Disgustingreports that Peele is in talks to produce a remake through his Monkeypaw Productions, but it’s still unclear if he also plans to step behind the camera and direct it as well. Considering Peele’s filmmaking history thus far, aCandymanremake seems like a great match between filmmaker and material. Peele’s work has explicitly addressed race within the confines of genres filmmaking, and this story provides another opportunity to do the same thing.
Even if this project ends up falling apart, I hope the mention of it drives more people to check out the 1992 original. Here’s the trailer:
It’s been about 15 years since I’ve seen this film, which is based on aClive Barkershort story, but here’s howWikipediadescribes the tragic origin of the movie’s notorious killer:
Candyman was the son of a slave who became prosperous after developing a system for mass-producing shoes during the Civil War. He grew up in a polite society and became a well-known artist, sought after for his talent in producing portraits. After falling in love with and fathering a child with a white woman in 1890, Candyman was set upon by a lynch mob hired by his lover’s father; they cut off his painting hand and replaced it with a hook. He was smeared with honey stolen from an apiary, attracting hungry bees which stung him to death.
Could Tony Todd come back to reprise the role once again? Will Peele end up directing this? There are still a lot of questions and we don’t have a timetable on the remake (or even if/when it might head into production), but we’ll be keeping a close eye on this one. In the meantime, be sure to check outour ranking of every Clive Barker movie here– you may be particularly interested in whereCandymanfalls on the list.
