Candyman is back. The hook-handed supernatural villain who appeared in the classic 1992 horror movie is set to feature in a new film--also titled Candyman--which hits theaters in June. It's produced by Get Out and Us director Jordan Peele, and the first trailer has now been released, along with a few photos, a poster, and a synopsis.
The trailer makes it very clear that this Candyman isn't a remake, but a sequel. It stars Aquaman's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as a man who returns to the former Chicago housing project of Cabrini Green, which is now gentrified and seemingly filled with art galleries. But the legend of vengeful former slave Candyman still persists, and people are still foolish enough to say his name five times into a mirror. The trailer doesn't reveal too much about the story beyond that, but it looks like a scary and worthy follow-up to the classic original. Check the trailer out below.
Candyman is directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele. The cast also includes Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and Colman Domingo. The return of Tony Todd to the role as Candyman has never been officially confirmed, but while you don't see him in the trailer, fans will recognise that voice anywhere. The movie hits theaters on June 12.
Like the first movie, the new Candyman is clearly interested in tackling social themes as well as scaring the audience. In a recent interview, DaCosta spoke about how this is one of Peele's main concerns when working in the horror genre. "What was useful about working with Jordan is that he's so good at bringing the social issues to the forefront in genre, especially horror," she said, via io9. "So that was already something that I knew was gonna happen. But the original Candyman also does that really well. What we were able to do, because 30 years has passed and because there's been so much change [in the] neighborhood, in particular, gentrification, was really dig into the themes that were already there."
Candyman Cast
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
- Teyonah Parris
- Nathan Stewart-Jarrett
- Colman Domingo
The Candyman synopsis reads as follows:
"For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago's Cabrini Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; HBO's Watchmen, Us) and his girlfriend, gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris; If Beale Street Could Talk, The Photograph), move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.
"With Anthony'’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini Green old-timer (Colman Domingo; HBO's Euphoria, Assassination Nation) exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifyingly viral wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny."
You can check out a poster and a couple of photos below.
