‘Aquaman’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II looks to be going from playing one dark baddie to another. After… *ahem* making a splash as Black Manta in this winter’s superhero smash, he is in talks to star in the Jordan Peele-produced update of ‘Candyman’. Nia DaCosta will direct the film, which is described as a “spiritual sequel” to the 1992 horror milestone.
The update comes from MGM, with Peele producing through his label Monkeypaw Productions, along with Win Rosenfeld. In a twist, the setting will be the same, Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects. However, what was a crime-riddled hood at the time, has been gentrified in the present. But having vegan restaurants and organic grocery stores won’t spare these citizens from the wrath of the hook-wielding ghost of an ex-slave.
The original film was inspired by the Clive Barker short story ‘The Forbidden’, and spawned two direct-to-video sequels. Tony Todd portrayed the titular killer in each and has expressed a desire to be part of the reboot.
‘Candyman’ may start filming soon, as it already has a release date of June 12, 2020. Before that, Abdul-Mateen will be seen in another Peele horror movie, ‘Us’, which opens on March 22. After that, he will appear in the drama ‘All Day and a Night’ written and directed by ‘Black Panther’ screenwriter Joe Robert Cole. On the small screen, he has an undisclosed role in HBO’s upcoming ‘The Watchmen’ based on another DC Comics series. He is currently filming Zeresenay Mehari’s ‘Sweetness in the Belly’. Prior to ‘Aquaman’, he starred on Netflix’s ‘The Get Down’, and appeared on Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, and in the big screen hit musical ‘The Greatest Showman’.
Peele attended the Academy Awards on Sunday, where a film he produced, ‘BlacKkKlansman’ won for Best Adapted Screenplay. In addition to ‘Us’, Peele has his new series ‘The Twilight Zone’ premiering on CBS All Access on April 11.
What would you think about the man who played Black Manta portraying the killer ‘Candyman’?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
