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Jordan Peele is arguably Hollywood’s golden boy at least for the time being. With the success of his first directorial feature, Get Out, the fanfare over the comedian turned director shouldn’t be a surprise.
Aside from his Get Out follow-up, Us, Peele is also working as the producer of the remake of the 1992 fantasy film, Candyman. There has been much talk over this re-imagining and it seems like the original Candyman himself, Tony Todd, wants in on the action.
In a recent interview with Bloody Disgusting, Todd explained that he would be very much interested in working with the remake’s production. After all, the character is near and dear to his heart. He wants Peele and Nia DeCosta, the film’s director, to do well:
“I want to be a part of the project one way or the other. 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.”
Todd has yet to hear from Peele regarding a role in the Candyman remake. However, the veteran actor does have confidence in Peele and what he would do to the cult classic:
“I know that it’s in good hands with Jordan Peele. I love his new trailer for Us and I know he loves the character and he respects the legacy. No matter what my personal involvement is, the fact that it’s getting done again will just bring new attention to the original source material. So it’s a win-win for everybody and a win-win for horror fans.”
This was not the first time Todd spoke about the possibility of a Candyman remake. In fact, in an interview with Syfy Wire late last year, Todd wasn’t convinced another Candyman should be made. He explained that, while he isn’t opposed to the idea, he has mixed feelings over the reimagining:
“I have mixed feelings because I thought they were gonna make this 15 years ago. If this had been 10 years ago when I had heard news, I would have been devastated. I would have fought for it. Now I’m in a different place. I’ve got so many other options that even if they make it without me, which I doubt, the attention the new movie will create will lead folks back to the original [film] because people like to see the source material.”
With that said, the actor expresses his desire to see tweaks from the original movie. 1992 was a different time, especially for black actors. He wants to see a progressive Candyman:
“I hope that they don’t dance around the [interracial] relationship between Candyman and the love of his life, the reason for his death and that they are actually allowed to kiss. [Back then] it was rare that African-American male film stars got to kiss any of the white leading ladies they worked with. I’m just speaking my mind here.”
As of date, the Candyman remake is scheduled to be released on June 20, 2020.
