Lakeith Stanfield is reportedly playing the main character in the forthcoming reboot of Candyman. Author Clive Barker conceived of the ghostly killer in his short story The Forbidden, which was included in volume five of the Books Of Blood. The original story was set in a UK housing estate, and found a student researching graffiti being drawn to the urban legend of a hook-handed killer called the Candyman, and meeting a nasty fate. The 1992 movie version moved the story to Chicago and changed the central killer from a waxy yellow figure in bright clothes to Tony Todd’s former slave.
While The Forbidden was a creepy short story, Candyman fleshed it out and made it much stronger. Everything from the performances to the themes and Philip Glass’ score made it one of the best horror movies of the 1990s. Unfortunately, the same can’t really be said for the sequels. Candyman: Farewell To The Flesh was directed by future Oscar winner Bill Condon (Beauty And The Beast), and while the movie attempted to dive deeper into the title character’s backstory, the pacing often dragged. The series seemed to end with Candyman: Day Of The Dead, which went straight to video and has since been denounced by star Todd himself.
Related: Original Candyman Star Tony Todd Wants To Be Involved In Jordan Peele’s Remake
Candyman still remains a classic of the genre, and fans got very excited when it was revealed Jordan Peele would produce the Nia DaCosta directed reboot/spiritual sequel. Now it appears the movie has found its main actor, with Super Bro Movies reporting Lakeith Stanfield will play Anthony, an artist researching the myth of the Candyman. Stanfield previously played a small, but memorable role, in Peele’s Get Out. More recently, Stanfield earned praise for his leading turn in the dystopian comedy Sorry to Bother You.
It appears Anthony's journey will mirror that of Helen (Virginia Madsen) from the original film, with both researching the Candyman and summoning the vengeful ghost’s interest. What’s intriguing to note is the character’s name, Anthony. In the finale of the original movie, it's revealed Helen is the reincarnation of the Candyman’s former love, and he lures her into a pyre with a baby so they can burn to death and live on as a new urban legend. Helen manages to escape and crawl through the burning wreckage with the baby - named Anthony - which she returns to his mother before dying of her burns. Perhaps that Anthony grew up to be Stanfield’s character, which is why he’s drawn to the myth in the first place.
The titular character in Candyman has yet to be cast, but while fans would love to see Tony Todd return, it'll likely be a new actor. Todd has stated he would like to be involved in some way, however. Interestingly, the actor recently revealed that following the success of Freddy Vs Jason in 2003, he was pitched a crossover called Candyman Vs Leprechaun; he quickly nixed the idea, and it's not hard to understand why.
More: Original Candyman Actor Has ‘Mixed Feelings’ About Jordan Peele’s Reboot
Source: Super Bro Movies