Back in February, Variety reported that Aquaman star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II had been cast in the titular role of the upcoming Jordan Peele-produced reboot of Candyman. Now it seems there has been an update to the story.
While speaking with Collider, Candyman director Nia DaCosta commented on the casting news:
“Well, it’s been slightly misreported. I can’t say what’s happening in the film because we want it to be a surprise, but he’s not replacing Tony Todd. That’s been reported, and I was just like, “I don’t know what to say about this. This is not right.”
If what DaCosta is saying turns out to be true and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is in fact not replacing Tony Todd as the Candyman, then it can be speculated that the upcoming film is not a straight-up remake. Instead, it is likely that the film will take the approach of Flatliners or Ocean’s 8 where new characters are introduced but the story very much takes place within the cinematic world of the original film.
Perhaps Abdul-Mateen II is playing yet another damned soul who was killed during a more recent tragedy. Instead of being a murdered slave like Tony Toddy’s Candyman is, perhaps this newer Candyman is someone who was killed during the civil rights era. This would allow Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Candyman to exist as the antagonist of this Candyman reboot without replacing Tony Todd’s version of the hook-handed spirit. The two can then co-exist within the same cinematic realm.
There is room for plenty of speculation and theories at this point. We won’t really know what Nica DaCosta meant until someone attached to the film comes out with more information or we see the film ourselves.
What do you think about DaCosta’s comments? Do you believe that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is indeed playing the villain, just updated for contemporary audiences? Share with me your thoughts on the story in the comments below!
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