“Candyman” has never been one of the most well-known horror franchises. Though it had a moment in the ‘90s, with a fairly popular original film and subsequent bad sequels (does it happen in any other way in the horror genre?), the slasher series never reached the heights of “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Friday the 13th,” and “Halloween.” Jordan Peele is hoping to change that, but he’s not doing it behind the camera.
As explained to Empire, the “Get Out” and “Us” filmmaker has taken the initiative to reboot “Candyman,” but he handed over the directing reins to up-and-coming filmmaker Nia DaCosta. And according to Peele, logistical reasons made it impossible for him to direct, but either way, DaCosta is a much better choice to bring a new version of “Candyman” to life.
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“I was working on ‘Us’ when this would have happened,” Peele explained. “But quite honestly, Nia is better to shoot this than I am. I’m way too obsessed with the original tales in my head. I probably wouldn’t be any good. But Nia has a steady manner about her which you don’t see a lot in the horror space. She’s refined, elegant, every shot is beautiful. It’s a beautiful, beautiful movie. I’m so glad I didn’t mess it up.”
“Candyman” is a film that talks about the urban legend of a mysterious hook-handed slasher that haunts kids after they repeat his name multiple times in a mirror. Unlike the aforementioned franchises with killers like Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, and Michael Myers, “Candyman” stands apart with its diversity, with a Black villain.
For DaCosta, the “Candyman” reboot isn’t just a way to refresh the character for a new generation, but it’s also the opportunity to take the franchise and have Black filmmakers craft the story.
“There is definitely a sense of taking ownership, and telling a Black story about Black people,” said the filmmaker. “It was very important for all of us to have our main character be Black, and for this experience to be through the Black lens. Let’s make sure we change the lens now.”
Recently, it was announced that “Candyman” would be delayed from its June release to September 25, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, film fans will have to wait a bit longer to see DaCosta’s vision of “Candyman.”