A remake of the original Candyman is in discussion! The rights to the film have recently became available again, and one of the companies being considered is Monkeypaw Productions. The owner of Monkeypaw Productions is Jordan Peele, which is creating quite the buzz among horror fans.
Jordan Peele is best known for his work as a writer/director in Get Out, which won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and was an Oscar nominee for Best Motion Picture of the Year. Peele also got much attention for being the first African American to win in the Best Original Screenplay category. He is also known for co-writing and starring in Keanu.
The original Candyman came out in 1992 and starred Tony Todd in the titular role (The Crow, Night of the Living Dead). The rights at the time were owned by Tri-Star. After producing a sequel, the rights then went to the company Artisan which made a third film in 1999. However, that film went straight to video. Despite being nearly twenty years since the last Candyman movie, hype is being generated by a limited-edition Blu-Ray release of the original film coming out this October.
The story revolves around a young woman named Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen also known for Sideways and The Haunting in Connecticut) who is working on her college thesis regarding urban legends. Her research brings her across the tale of the Candyman, the hook-handed murderous soul of a slave who can be summoned by saying his name five times in a mirror. Helen’s search brings her deep into the destitute housing projects of Chicago and deeper into the Candyman legend. As she investigates rumors of where this spirit is said to appear, a string of terrible murders happens, leading her to question her beliefs.
Jordan Peele seems to be a fan-favorite for producing this remake. While he hasn’t committed to the project yet, we are eagerly awaiting his response and seeing Candyman again on the big screen.
