Tony Todd is the only actor to have portrayed Candyman in the horror franchise, starring as the killer in three films. The actor has previously expressed he’d be interested in playing the character in the new Candyman, but won’t be upset if the franchise goes a different direction.
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“I know he’s a fan,” Todd shared with Entertainment Weekly when discussing Jordan Peele, who is co-writing the new film. “We’re waiting just like the rest of the world. I’m hoping I will appear in the film in some form of fashion. Wouldn’t that make sense? But it’s Hollywood, so I won’t take it personally if for some reason it doesn’t work out.”
The announcement that a new Candyman was on the way immediately excited horror fans, with Todd knowing that, no matter what happens with the new film, any excitement around the franchise will bring attention to what the original series accomplished.
“If this new one is successful, it will shed light back on the original. I think the subject matter is more important than any individuals,” Todd confessed. “And I mean that.”
The original 1992 film was adapted from a story by Clive Barker. When grad student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) begins working on a thesis looking at urban legends, she encounters the tale of the Candyman — the vengeful spirit of a hook-handed slave, who, it is said, can be summoned by saying his name five times in the mirror. As her research leads her into the bowels of Chicago’s deprived housing projects and deeper into the Candyman’s world, Helen learns that some legends are best left alone.
This new film “returns to the neighborhood where the legend began: the now-gentrified section of Chicago where the Cabrini-Green housing projects once stood.”
While it’s unclear how the new film will reinterpret the source material, Todd previously confirmed he would gladly be involved in the endeavor in any capacity.
“I want to be a part of the project one way or the other,” Todd shared with Bloody Disgusting. “Of course, I’d want to be a part of it. I helped create this character. I helped bring him to life so I’m sure if Boris Karloff was asked the same thing, he would say exactly what I say. I know the character inside and out.”
Stay tuned for details on the new Candyman, which is slated to hit theaters on June 12, 2020.
Do you want to see Todd in the film or should we get a new actor to embrace the villain? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!
