Back in July, Syfy and USA Network released a teaser trailer for the upcoming series Chucky, a continuation of the original CHILD'S PLAY franchise (no connection to the remake). That was a surprising move, given that the show hasn't even gone into production yet. Filming was supposed to begin in Toronto this fall, but now Deadline has learned that the start date has been pushed back to an unspecified time in 2021. Syfy and USA are still hoping to get Chucky on air sometime in 2021, so filming probably isn't expected to start too deep into the year.
The reason for this delay is, of course, the global pandemic. Producers are trying to figure out the best, safest time to start filming. While some productions that were shut down by the pandemic have resumed in the last couple months, the fact that Robert Pattinson just tested positive for COVID-19 while working on THE BATMAN shows that the virus can still slip through all the new precautionary measures.
Don Mancini, who has written every film in the CHILD'S PLAY franchise (except for the remake) and directed a few of them, developed Chucky with producer David Kirschner. They are executive producing the show with Harley Peyton and Nick Antosca. Speaking with io9, Antosca said,
Don wrote an awesome show. He’s showrunning it, and he had a great writer’s room. I’m cautious about talking details, but we’re working on it every day. As a Chucky fan, I’ll just say I’m over the moon that Brad Dourif is back as Chucky, as well as some other familiar characters, and that I think fans are going to love where Don is taking it — and new audiences as well. It’s scary, it’s really funny, and it’s very smart. Nobody knows Chucky better than he does, and he’s pushing the boundaries yet again. I can’t wait for everyone to see it next year."
The show has the following synopsis:
After a vintage Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos as a series of horrifying murders begin to expose the town’s hypocrisies and secrets. Meanwhile, the arrival of enemies and allies from Chucky’s past threatens to expose the truth behind the killings, as well as the demon doll’s untold origins as a seemingly ordinary child who somehow became this notorious monster.
Mancini has said that "Chucky has a different goal in the TV show than he's ever had before", a goal that is "designed to evoke something that's going on in the zeitgeist today."
In addition to Brad Dourif providing the voice of Chucky once again, the cast of the show is also expected to include franchise regular Jennifer Tilly.