Jordan Peele’s Candyman reboot eyeing Lakeith Stanfield for leading role

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Horror remakes and reboots are not uncommon in today’s movie landscape, but the reboot of CANDYMAN got some serious buzz around it when Oscar-winner Jordan Peele (GET OUT) attached himself as producer and co-writer (alongside Win Rosenfield). Now eyes are all set on the new movie, including for all things casting, and word is that ATLANTA and SORRY TO BOTHER YOU actor Lakeith Stanfield is the frontrunner to play the lead in the new nightmare.

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Collider confirmed the exclusive from SuperBrosMovies that Stanfield has been given the offer to play the lead protagonist in the movie, having had a part in Peele’s GET OUT. Set to be directed by Nia DaCosta (LITTLE WOODS), the movie would find Stanfield investigating the urban myth around Candyman (played by Tony Todd in the original series) in Chicago, only for the people around him to start falling like flies.

Having Stanfield play a character investigating the legend would draw some similarities to Virginia Madsen’s character from the original, as she played a graduate student working on a thesis around certain urban legends. The original movie from horror icon Clive Barker came out in 1992 and was the first horror movie to have a black actor play the leading villain, with Peele calling it “a landmark film for black representation in the horror genre.” Though not quite a lauded critical darling, the movie received positive reviews upon release and went on to make a solid $25 million at the box office, spawning several sequels.

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Leading the new movie would be another great get for Stanfield, which comes on the heels of a terrific 2018, including the second season of ATLANTA and leading the surreal SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, both on top of a supporting role in Fede Alvarez’s THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB. He’s been making a big name for himself with more and more roles, and securing the part in CANDYMAN would solidify him further as a leading man.

Described as a "spiritual sequel" to the original, the movie will take place in a now-gentrified area of Chicago where the Cabrini Green housing project once stood. Filming is expected to get underway this spring for a June 12, 2020 release, so we're likely to be hearing more news around the casting soon. How are actors landing the gigs? Why they only have to say Candyman's name five times in front of a mirror and see what happens.