Don Mancini is in a unique position as a screenwriter. The creator of CHILD'S PLAY and villainous doll Chucky, Mancini has been a writer on all seven of the series' films, including the latest – CULT OF CHUCKY – which comes out on Blu-ray/VOD October 3rd. It's pretty rare that one person is in complete control (by Hollywood standards, anyway) of a franchise the way Mancini is with these movies, and based on the continual appetite the public has for that foul-mouthed creation of his, it seems as though that's the way it should be.
But might there ever come a time when Mancini tires of The Chuck and passes the baton to another? Furthermore, can you even picture the character being voiced by anyone other than Brad Dourif?
I was recently fortunate enough to chat with Mancini about CULT OF CHUCKY and the legacy of his CHILD'S PLAY films, and while you'll have to wait a little while longer for the full interview, I wanted to share the following morsel.
Asked if he can picture ever not being in control of Chucky's fate, Mancini responded:
Well, sure. That's inevitable. Whether or not that happens next movie or five movies from now or after I'm dead… [Laughs] It is inevitable. This character and franchise will outlive me, but for the time being I feel very proprietary about it, and I also love it. As a lifelong horror fan, I'm always thrilled that this character I created has been embraced by horror audiences… I just really love the character, and I really love the opportunity to keep building on this elaborate, 30-year, seven film mythology, and I'm pretty proud of what we've done. We have this fairly consistent mythology that we've built up over 30 years with a lot of the same people involved. David (producer David Kirschner) and I, in some of our more grandiose moments think of ourselves as the Broccolis of the horror genre; just as the Broccoli family has steered the Bond franchise for decades, so we have stayed in control of this. So far it seems like the audience feels like that’s a good thing. As long as the audience keeps responding positively, I want to keep doing it.
Asked whether or not he thinks Brad Dourif will continue doing it for just as long, Mancini sounded optimistic:
I think so, yeah. We're really good friends, and I'm really good friends with Fiona (Dourif), Jennifer (Tilly) and Alex (Vincent). That aspect of it is important to David and I as well, I really like the family aspect that we've built up. That's the thing, it's all very personal to all of us. We're all very passionate about it, it's not just people making a product. We really care about it and want it to be good. I think I could speak for Brad that as long as I'm involved he'll keep doing it. And vice versa. The thought of replacing him is ridiculous, he's such an integral part of the franchise. Brad is Chucky. The reviews out of London have been, "Oh wow, he's awesome in this role."
While it definitely remains to be seen just how many more CHUCKY films are in store for us in the near future, rest assured that Mancini, and probably Dourif, are in it for the long haul.
Keep an eye out for the view interview with Mancini closer to CULT OF CHUCKY's release. You can pre-order the film right HERE.