MGM has partnered with Monkeypaw Productions to revive the 1992 horror Candyman, which Jordan Peele will produce with Monkeypaw partner Win Rosenfeld.
Nia DaCosta is set to direct after her feature directorial debut Little Woods starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James premiered at Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and took home the Nora Ephron Award.
Production is scheduled to commence next spring and Universal Pictures will release theatrically in the US on July 12, 2020.
“We cannot wait for the world to see what the mind blowing combination of Jordan, Win and Nia bring to the legend of Candyman,” said MGM president of the motion picture group Jonathan Glickman. “They have created a story that will not only pay reverence to Clive Barker’s haunting and brilliant source material but is also thoroughly modern and will bring in a whole new generation of fans.”
Peele, who won the screenplay Oscar for Get Out earlier in the year and produced current awards contender BlacKkKlansman, added: “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 filmmaker – and to have a bold new talent like Nia at the helm of this project is truly exciting. We are honoured 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.”
The original Candyman was adapted from Clive Barker’s short story The Forbidden, and tells of a skeptical graduate student who attempts to summon a murderous urban legend.
MGM’s co-president of production Adam Rosenberg and vice-president of production Tabitha Shick will oversee Candyman for the studio, and Ian Cooper will produce for Monkeypaw.
Coming up for Peele is the “social thriller-horror” Us starring Lupita Nyong’o, which he is directing from his screenplay, and produces. The project is in post and Universal will release next spring.
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