Candyman Sequel Will Include Tony Todd

Earlier today the first tease of the new Candyman movie finally arrived online! Universal Pictures debuted the first poster and a trailer tease offering the first look at footage from the movie, while confirming the full trailer will debut this Thursday. News of the new Candyman has got fans wondering about its titular character though, specifically if Tony Todd will be reprising his role from the 1992 original once again. Though the studio has not confirmed if Todd will be playing the title character once again we do know for a fact that he will be in the movie as the actor confirmed as much in a previous interview.

Todd’s involvement in the film was a bit of a roller coaster journey for the actor and for fans. The actor previously said he had “mixed feelings” about the film and said he wasn’t sure he would be involved. After that he went on to say in January of 2019 that he wanted to be involved “One Way or Another” and then saying he wouldn’t “take it personally” if he wasn’t asked to return, though later said in March he was hurt by not getting that call. In May of last year though the actor confirmed that he would return in some capacity after producer Jordan Peele called him.

“Out of the blue I got a phone call from Jordan Peele,” Todd shared with the audience during a panel at Nickel City Con (via CinemaBlend). “We’re still waiting for the contract, but the way he explained it to me was that it’s gonna be applause-worthy moments. That’s his words. No matter what happens with that, it’s gonna just put renewed attention on the original.”

It’s unclear how much of an appearance Todd will have in the movie but Bloody Disgusting reported, after filming had concluded on the movie, that yes, Todd will appear as the Candyman once again. Considering what the actor said Jordan Peele told him about these “applause-worthy moments,” it’s possible that he’ll only have a few scenes but they’ll be the ones everyone is talking about. Since development on the movie began, Peele has called it a “spiritual sequel” to the original Candyman film so Todd’s involvement feels necessary.

“The original was a landmark film for black representation in the horror genre. Alongside Night of the Living Dead, Candyman was a major inspiration for me as a filmmaker — and to have a bold new talent like Nia at the helm of this project is truly exciting,” Peele said in a statement when the film was announced. “We are honored to bring the next chapter in the Candyman canon to life and eager to provide new audiences with an entry point to Clive Barker’s legend.”

Directed by Nia DaCosta, the new Candyman movie will debut in theaters nationwide on June 12.