Jordan Peele’s Candyman reboot has found its star. According to Variety, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is in talks to take the lead role.
Abdul-Mateen is known for playing Cadillac in Neflix original series The Get Down, and is set to appear in HBO’s Watchmen series as well as in Peele’s upcoming horror film Us.
The announcement comes shortly after the news that original Candyman star Tony Todd hadn’t been approached about appearing in the new film.
“I know [Peele] is a fan, we’re waiting just like the rest of the world,” he told EW at the start of February. “I’m hoping I will appear in the film in some form of fashion. Wouldn’t that make sense? But it’s Hollywood, so I won’t take it personally if for some reason it doesn’t work out. If this new one is successful, it will shed light back on the original. I think the subject matter is more important than any individuals. And I mean that.”
The Candyman reboot is being directed by Nia DaCosta, writer-director of Tessa Thompson-starring crime drama Little Woods, and Peele will produce. The project has been set up at Universal and it’s been given a release date of 12 June 2020, with production starting this spring.
Described as a “spiritual sequel” to the original, it “returns to the neighbourhood where the legend began: the now-gentrified section of Chicago where the Cabrini-Green housing projects once stood.”
The 1992 film was based on a Clive Barker short story and starred Virginia Madsen as a grad student who heads to Cabrini-Green to investigate the urban legend of the Candyman, who will appear behind you if you say his name five times into a mirror. The gory horror was rich in social commentary as well as gory scares and boasted an unforgettable performance from Todd in the title role.
Candyman will be released on 12 June 2020. Keep up with the latest horror news with the new issue of SciFiNow.
