Candyman is an American horror film that was directed by Nia DaCosta and it was produced by Jordan Peele. It would be a sequel to the original 1992 film and star Tony Todd as the titular character.
As it was setted to be released on June 12, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the date to September 25 and October 16, 2020. It was rumored that the movie would be released sometime in 2021 which was August 27, 2021.
Premise[]
In the present day which was a decade after the Cabrini Towers are torn down, Anthony and his partner moved into a loft that was in the gentrified Cabrini-Green. A chance encounter with an old-timer exposed Anthony to the true story behind the Candyman. As he was anxious to use these macabre details in his studio as a fresh grist for the paintings, he unknowingly opened a door to a complex past that unraveled his own sanity and he unleashed a terrifying wave of violence.
Plot[]
Anthony McCoy was a visual artist who was living in Chicago with his girlfriend who was an art gallery director named Brianna Cartwright. One night, Brianna's brother named Troy shared the urban legend of Helen Lyle who was a white graduate student who went on a killing spree in the early 1990s. The story went that her rampage culminated in a bonfire outside the Cabrini-Green projects which she attempted to sacrifice a baby. The residents are able to rescue the child from Helen before she perished in the fire in an apparent act of self-immolation.
As he was desperate for a creative spark to turn his career around, Anthony latched on to this story and roamed around Cabrini-Green by looking for an inspiration. He had a chance encounter with William Burke who was a launderette owner who introduced him to the story of the Candyman. When Burke was a child, he had a frightening encounter with Sherman Fields who was a hook-handed man who the police believed that he was responsible for putting a razor blade in a piece of candy that ended up in a white girl's hands. Burke inadvertently alerted the police to his presence in the walls of one of the tower blocks by leading them to beat Sherman to death. Sherman was exonerated when more children received the candy with the razor blades. The legend went that repeating the name "Candyman" five times in front of a mirror invoked Sherman’s spirit which he appeared in the reflection and killed whoever spoke his name.
After he was inspired by this, Anthony developed an art exhibit around the Candyman's legend and he showcased it at Brianna’s gallery, but he was dismayed when he did not get the kind of reaction that he was hoping for. On that night, one of Brianna’s co-workers and his girlfriend are slaughtered by the Candyman after saying his name five times in front of a mirror. Their bodies are discovered in the morning by Brianna. More people are killed after repeating the Candyman’s name including an art critic and a group of teenage girls.
Meanwhile, Anthony began to undergo a physical transformation that was stemming from a bee sting that he got on his hand while he was walking around Cabrini-Green. The sting developed into a scab that began to spread and cover his whole body. Anthony went to a hospital to get checked out where he learned that his mother lied about where he was born. Anthony paid a visit to his mother who revealed that he was the baby that Helen Lyle saved from the fire on the night that she died. Though the truth was that Helen saved him from the first Candyman named Daniel Robitaille who abducted him and he planned to sacrifice him in the fire, she never told him about it because she wanted Anthony to have a normal life. The community vowed to never repeat the Candyman's legend after that night and his mother feared what would happen to Anthony as someone broke their pact. Anthony left as he was resigned to his fate and he wandered around Cabrini-Green's row houses.
As she was concerned about Anthony, Brianna recalled him mentioning that he first heard about the Candyman from Burke so she headed to Cabrini-Green in the hopes of finding him. Once she was there, Burke subdued Brianna and took her to an abandoned church where Anthony entered a fugue state as his body continued to deteriorate.
Burke revealed that he witnessed the police beat Sherman to death. He saw Sherman return as the Candyman which he butchered his older sister when she summoned him in their apartment's bathroom mirror. He planned to have Anthony gunned down by the police by creating a new legend which the Candyman was an instrument of vengeance rather than a symbol of black pain and suffering. To complete Anthony’s transformation into the Candyman, he sawed his right hand off and he replaced it with a hook.
Brianna managed to escape from the church and she was chased into Cabrini-Green's row houses by Burke who she viciously stabbed to death. Anthony appeared and he collapsed into her arms as the police that are lured to the scene by Burke showed up and they shot Anthony to death. Brianna was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police SUV where an officer attempted to intimidate her into agreeing that Anthony provoked the other officer into shooting him. Brianna used the car’s rearview mirror to summon Anthony who was the Candyman and he massacred every police officer at the scene. As more police arrived, the Candyman took Daniel's appearance on and he instructed Brianna to "tell everyone."
Production[]
In September 2018, it was announced that Jordan Peele was in talks to produce a sequel of the 1992 film through his Monkeypaw Productions.[1] In a 2018 interview with Nightmare on Film Street, Todd stated, "I would rather have him do it with someone with intelligence who was going to be thoughtful and dig into the whole racial makeup about who the Candyman was and why he existed in the first place." [2] In November 2018, it was confirmed that Peele would produce the film with Universal and MGM and he would partner with Win Rosenfeld to co-produce the film while Nia DaCosta signed on as director.[3] The film would serve as a "Spiritual sequel" by taking place back in the new gentrified Cabrini Green where the old housing projects development stood in Chicago once. The filming was due to commence in the spring of 2019.[4]
In January 2019, it was reported that Lakeith Stanfield of FX's Atlanta and Sorry to Bother You fame would possibly star in the film, but not as the main titular character rather as a visual artist named Anthony who took an interest on by seeking the legend of the Candyman that was similar to Helen Lyle's character played by Virginia Madsen. At the time, there was no word to who would be starring in the film and if Todd or any past cast would reprise their roles.[5][6] However, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Todd spoke about Peele by stating: "I knew that he was a fan. I am hoping that I would appear in the film in some form of fashion. Wouldn't that make sense? But, it was Hollywood so I would not take it personally if it did not work out." He added, "If this new one was successful, it would shed light back on the original. I thought that the subject's matter was more important than any individuals and I meant that." [7] In February 2019, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was reported to be in talks to play the titular character.[8] In response to the news, Todd gracefully offered his blessings by passing the torch over Twitter and stating: "Cheers to Candyman, a wonderful character that I lived with for 25 years. He brought grace and glory and a beautiful boatload of friends and family. I am honored that the spirit of Daniel Robitaille and Cabrini Green rose again. Truth to power! Blessings to the cast and the crew".[9][10]
However, on March 25, 2019, it was ultimately announced that Todd would reprise his role.[11] It was also revealed that an actress named Teyonah Parris was cast to play as Anthony's girlfriend. The principal photography for Candyman began during August 2019 in the Chicago area [12] with some filming that was taking place in the North Park neighborhood during the month of September of that same year.[13][14]
Trvia:
This Is The Only Universal Pictures Movie To Be Co-Production With Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer After Hannibal & Josie And The Pussycats. (2001)
Cast[]
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Anthony McCoy
- Tony Todd as Candyman
- Teyonah Parris as Brianna Cartwright
- Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Troy Cartwright
- Colman Domingo as William Burke
- Vanessa Williams as Anne-Marie McCoy
- Rebecca Spence as Finley Stephens
- Michael Hargrove as Sherman Fields / Candyman
- Christiana Clark as Danielle Harrington
- Cassie Kramer as Helen Lyle / Caroline Sullivan
- Brian King as Clive Privler
- Kyle Kaminsky as Grady Smith
- Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Jameson
- Cedric Mays as Gil Cartwright
- Nancy Pender as TV News Anchor
- Pam Jones as Devlin Sharpe
Gallery[]
Trailer[]
Posters & Promotional Images[]
References[]
- ↑ Jordan Peele in Talks to Remake Clive Barker’s ‘Candyman’ Exclusive - BloodyDisgusting
- ↑ Exclusive Interview with Horror Icon Tony Todd talks Hell Fest and Gives his Blessing to Candyman Remake - Nightmare on Film Street Podcast
- ↑ Jordan Peele-Produced ‘Candyman’ Reboot Taps Director Nia DaCosta - Variety
- ↑ Jordan Peele to co-write sequel to horror film Candyman - EW
- ↑ Lakeith Stanfield Is Reportedly Being Eyed To Star In 'Candyman' Reboot From Jordan Peele And Nia DaCosta - Shadow and Act
- ↑ Lakeith Stanfield May be Casted For 'Candyman' Reboot - The Source
- ↑ Candyman star Tony Todd 'won't take it personally' if he isn't in Jordan Peele's sequel - EW
- ↑ Jordan Peele’s ‘Candyman’ Finds Its Star (EXCLUSIVE) - EW
- ↑ Feb 26, 2019 Tweet - Tony Todd's Twitter
- ↑ Tony Todd Gracefully Offers His Blessings to the New ‘Candyman’ - BloodyDisgusting
- ↑ ‘Candyman’ Director Nia DaCosta Clarifies That Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Not Replacing Tony Todd…? - BloodyDisgusting
- ↑ Filming Has Begun on Nia DaCosta’s ‘Candyman’; Here’s the Latest Casting News - BloodyDisgusting
- ↑ Candyman: Everything We Know (So Far) About Jordan Peele's Reboot - Screen Rant
- ↑ Jordan Peele's 'Candyman' Sequel is Filming in Chicago and Was Spotted in North Park This Week - NBC Chicago