Candyman director says Yahya Abdul-Mateen II won’t be replacing Tony Todd

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Last month it was reported that AQUAMAN's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II would be starring in the upcoming CANDYMAN reboot, and many took that to mean that the actor would be stepping into the role originally played by Tony Todd, but director Nia DaCosta recently spoke with Collider to shed some light on the situation.

"Well, it’s been slightly misreported," DaCosta said. "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." Later reports claimed Yahya Abdul-Mateen II would be playing "an artist who becomes obsessed with the bloody legend," so perhaps there's room for Tony Todd to return in some form after-all, or maybe Abdul-Mateen II's character will slowly become a new incarnation of the urban legend he's captivated with. Whichever happens, I'm pumped to see what this new vision of CANDYMAN will look like.

Jordan Peele (US) will be producing CANDYMAN, as well as penning the script alongside Win Rosenfeld. The new film will be returning to the neighbourhood where the Candyman legend first began: the now-gentrified section of Chicago where the Cabrini-Green housing projects once stood. "The original was a landmark film for black representation in the horror genre. Alongside ‘Night of the Living Dead,’ ‘Candyman’ was a major inspiration for me as a filmmaker — and to have a bold new talent like Nia at the helm of this project is truly exciting," said Peele in a statement. "We are honored to bring the next chapter in the ‘Candyman’ canon to life and eager to provide new audiences with an entry point to Clive Barker’s legend."

CANDYMAN will hit theaters on June 12, 2020.