‘Child’s Play’ Reboot Official Synopsis Released, Cast Confirmed

The long-rumored reboot of Child’s Play is officially moving forward, with MGM announcing that production has begun with stars Aubrey Plaza and Brian Tyree Henry.

The studio’s press release also confirmed the loose details of the plot, which reads, “Child’s Play follows a mother (Plaza) who gives her son (Mike and Gabriel Bateman) a toy doll for his birthday, unaware of its more sinister nature.” The film will be directed by Lars Klevberg.

While some fans of the original 1988 film might be excited to see the property getting a fresh take with big stars attached to it, many other fans are frustrated, as series creator Don Mancini continues to develop films in the franchise, as well as a planned TV series. Mancini has written every chapter in the franchise, with David Kirschner having served as a producer on all seven installments and with Brad Dourif lending the voice to the murderous Chucky doll in all his iterations. With this trio refusing to give their blessing to the new film, the reboot will reportedly explore a different avenue from the source material.

In the original film, Charles Lee Ray (Dourif) is critically injured and, before dying, projects his spirit into the body of a Good Guy doll, allowing the pint-sized terror to come to life to fulfill Chucky’s murderous proclivities. As far as this reboot is concerned, sources shared with ComicBook.com that one character, named “Chen,” is a “Chinese factory worker who commits suicide shortly after re-programming a Buddy doll to have no limitations.” As far as the iconic killer doll is concerned, Chucky is described as “a defective ‘Buddy doll’ whose programming code was hacked so that he has no limitations to learning and also violence.”

This implication means that voodoo will be completely devoid from the new film, which could also mean the doll itself has little to no personality. In that regard, it would seem as though the new film is a reboot in name and premise only, as the Child’s Play series would go on to be defined by Chucky’s twisted sense of humor.

It’s both a confusing and exciting time to be a fan of the Child’s Play franchise, with multiple films featuring multiple timelines and a TV series all seemingly on the horizon. How they will all connect to one another is yet to be seen.

Stay tuned for details about the Child’s Play reboot.

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