Chucky’s Look Will Be Reimagined in ‘Child’s Play’ Reboot

The upcoming reboot of Child’s Play will feature a killer doll, but the pint-sized terror might not entirely look how you expect him to. MastersFX is the studio responsible for bringing the character to life, who shared a press release [H/T Bloody Disgusting] detailing their approach to the horror icon.

The release reads, “MastersFX has brought the new Chucky doll to life on screen like never before in a mixture of practical on-set puppet work and digital FX enhancements. Todd Masters, founder of MastersFX, and his team took six weeks to prepare and assemble seven practical animatronic puppets, each with interchangeable arms and heads that perform a variety of required actions on set. The FX team, led by ace puppeteer Keith Arbuthnot, along with Mike Fields, Jason Ward and Josh Raymond each controlled a different part of the doll.”

The original film relied almost entirely on practical effects, as visual enhancements weren’t as advanced in the late ’80s as they’ve become. This new approach will seemingly stick to those real-life filmmaking methods.

“It was important to [director] Lars [Klevberg] that we use animatronics as much as possible,” producer David Katzenberg shared. “As fans of Todd’s work, we were thrilled when he and his team of exceptional artists and puppeteers agreed to take on the challenge of creating our take on a classic character.”

The original film focused on the murderous Charles Lee Ray using his final moments on earth to perform a ritual that transferred his spirit into the body of a doll, allowing him to continue his reign of terror. This upcoming reboot will instead focus on the dangers of artificial intelligence, with the new doll being of the “BUDDI” brand as opposed to a “Good Guy” doll. These narrative tweaks inspired Masters’ approach to creating the new killer.

“Reconceiving a well-loved classic always feels like wading into tricky waters, however, Lars’ fresh vision for this film turned what could have been a challenging process into a seamless and beautiful collaboration,” Masters explained. “MGM and Orion’s Child’s Play is not a remake or retelling but a completely new style and concept and we believe that BUDDI fits with this vision perfectly.”

This new film has already been at the center of controversy among horror fans, as series creator Don Mancini continues to make films and is currently working on a TV adaptation that all fit within the original movie’s narrative, all of which will now be forced to compete for attention against the upcoming reboot. Hopefully the new film will draw attention to what Mancini is doing with his characters and is ultimately beneficial for the brand.

The new Child’s Play lands in theaters on June 21, 2019.

Are you looking forward to checking out the new reimagining? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!