Tony Todd is reportedly reprising his iconic role in Jordan Peele’s Candyman sequel. Todd has not played the titular character since 1999’s Candyman: Day of the Dead. The news comes after it was revealed that production had officially started a little over a month ago in Chicago. Now, sources close to the project are stating that Todd will have a much bigger role in the sequel than originally thought. Aquaman‘s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II leads the cast in the upcoming sequel.
Little is known about the upcoming Candyman sequel, which was at one time described as a “spiritual” sequel. However, if the Tony Todd reports end up being confirmed, it looks like it may end up being more of a direct sequel when all is said and done. MGM has yet to make an official announcement on the subject, so we’ll just have to wait and see how they decide to treat the situation. When Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast, many assumed he would be taking on the iconic role, but that was quickly officially debunked.
When Jordan Peele first announced his Candyman reboot, Tony Todd expressed his displeasure with the sequel and was hurt that Peele and director Nia DaCosta did not reach out to him. He talked about it quite frequently publicly until one day he received a call from Peele. At the time, a contract had not been signed, but Todd indicated that there is going to be “applause-worthy moments” in the upcoming movie. Todd was obviously being purposefully vague and says, “No matter what happens with that, it’s gonna just put renewed attention on the original.”
Related: Why Jordan Peele Chose Nia DaCosta to Direct New Candyman Movie
The original 1992 Candyman was adapted from a story by Clive Barker and it is a horror classic. Tony Todd took the role and turned it into something completely different and made it his own. He was an imposing character who had no problem gutting his victims with his trademark hook. He isn’t all evil, as he also had a bit of a tender side, which is showcased in the original movie. This makes Candyman more of a complicated boogeyman. The character was the son of a slave who was brutally murdered after falling in love with a white woman during a time when that was not socially acceptable.
Jordan Peele’s Candyman sequel is all set to hit theaters on June 12th, 2020. With production already underway in Chicago, it’s surprising that we haven’t seen much in the way of leaked set photos. Bloody Disgusting was the first to break the Tony Todd news, and while they can’t confirm 100%, they have a pretty solid track record when it comes to this sort of thing. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see what MGM decides to do in terms of an announcement. They may choose to keep quiet about the situation to make it a surprise for horror fans.
