Way back in September (I say “way back” because every month feels like a year in 2018), it was announced that Jordan Peele and his production gang were in talks to produce a reboot…remake?…rebootmake? of Candyman. Horror fans on the internet collectively lost their shit because, I mean, obviously. Jordan Peele, director of the acclaimed Get Out, taking his keen nose for horror and incisive social commentary and applying it to a reboot of the horror movie that put black representation in horror front and center? HECK YES.

As it happens in Hollywood, things went quiet for a while as it was all getting sorted. But praise movie Jesus, we have more news! And it’s awesome. Variety has reported the Candyman reboot has found a director in Nia DaCosta. Along with the news that DaCosta has been tapped for the director’s chair, it was explained that the sequel will be a contemporary setting that takes place in the Chicago neighborhood where it all began.

DaCosta is but a wee bebe newcomer to the industry, with only one feature film to her name. Granted, that feature film is the crazy well-received Little Woods with Tessa Thompson and Lily, so she clearly knows how to craft a solid movie. Even if that movie is a modern-day Western and not a horror film, it’s promising because it hints that Candyman – like Get Out – will be a smarter and more nuanced film than we otherwise expect from most horror films. With Peele co-writing the script with Win Rosenfeld, we can expect some thought-provoking moments in between the terror. Paying homage to John Carpenter and the original Candyman is clearly on Peele’s mind. As he said

“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. 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.”

MGM’s Jonathan Glickman is pretty stoked about it, too. Said the Motion Picture Group president

“We cannot wait for the world to see what the mind-blowing combination of Jordan, Win, and Nia bring to the legend of Candyman. They have created a story that will not only pay reverence to Clive Barker’s haunting and brilliant source material, but is also thoroughly modern and will bring in a whole new generation of fans.”

Obviously, if you have Jordan Peele in your pocket, you have to be pumped. But it’s interesting that they’re so high up on DaCosta as well, especially considering she just doesn’t have a huge body of work. Whatever she brought to the table to land the job must have been impressive, indeed. We’re really looking forward to this one. It has the potential to be something truly special and revolutionary in the world of horror.

(Credit header image: TriStar Pictures)

 

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