The long-awaited follow-up to the cult classic horror movie Candyman has been delayed yet again. After waiting for the release for almost a year, fans have started asking that the movie be allowed to bypass a theatrical release and go directly to streaming via VOD. In answer to such requests, the director of the movie, Nia DaCosta, took to Twitter to explain why a theater distribution model was so important for Candyman:
“We made Candyman to be seen in theaters. Not just for the spectacle but because the film is about community and stories–how they shape each other, how they shape us. It’s about the collective experience of trauma and joy, suffering and triumph, and the stories we tell around it. We wanted the horror and humanity of Candyman to be experienced in a collective, a community, so we’re pushing Candyman to next year, to ensure that everyone can see the film, in theaters, and share in that experience.”
The upcoming Candyman takes forward the events of the original 1992 movie, bringing the legend of the hook-handed killed into the 2020s. The story takes audiences back to Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood, where legend still tells of a supernatural entity with a hook hand that can be summoned by anyone who looks in a mirror and says his name three times. Enter visual artist Anthony McCoy, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who moves into a condo in Cabrini and finds himself becoming entangled in the Legend of the Candyman.
As McCoy starts toying with the legend as part of his art exhibit, it becomes increasingly clear that the Candyman is more than just a spooky tale. A strange relationship is kindled between the ghostly killer and McCoy, as it becomes clear the young artist has a history with Cabrini that the audience had not suspected. Actor Tony Todd is reprising his iconic role as Candyman in the upcoming film, and he previously described the project as a sure-fire winner, and a worthy successor to the original Candyman franchise:
“I know for a fact that is gonna be one of the most accepted and received horror films in a while. … I’m fully aboard the team. It’s a great team. Nia DaCosta. Not only a female director but an African American director. You have Jordan Peele, who is arguably one of the hottest producers around right now. I think people are gonna be proud to see the character and the story continue.”
It remains to be seen if the state of theaters in 2021 will be any better than the current doldrums the industry finds itself in, once the threat of infection is minimized. Directed by Nia DaCosta based on a script by Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld and DaCosta, Candyman features a lead cast of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, Vanessa A. Williams, Rebecca Spence, Cassie Kramer and Tony Todd. The film is expected to arrive in theaters sometime in 2021.
We made CANDYMAN to be seen in theaters. Not just for the spectacle but because the film is about community and stories–how they shape each other, how they shape us. It’s about the collective experience of trauma and joy, suffering and triumph, and the stories we tell around it.
— Nia DaCosta (@NiaDaCosta) September 12, 2020