Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ cast a sci-fi-skewered eye on race, while ‘Us’ dealt with nature versus nurture, but for ‘Candyman’, the reboot of the 1992 horror classic, which Peele is producing under his company Monkeypaw Productions, it appears that the target of examination is a little… nerdier.
Monkeypay Creative Director Ian Cooper appeared at The New Age of Producing Horror panel and admitted that the new film will target toxic fandom.
“We talk a lot about fans and the idea of appeasing fans and when you do that and how do you do that and when do you not do that. I think my issue with fandom is that it’s really problematic. It’s probably the most problematic thing facing the genre.
“It typically comes with a dogma that is abrasive and that is more resistant to change and permutation than you would think. I think what we’re trying to do with Candyman is both be mischievous in how we address the relationship to the first film but also be very satisfying.”
As for the idea of toxic fandom, perhaps the most glaring example of late has been the ridiculous petition signed by thousands of fans demanding that HBO remake ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8, as they were unsatisfied with the episodes they were given. Toxic fans have also attacked stars like ‘Star Wars” Kelly Marie Tran, and ‘Batwoman’s Ruby Rose, among others, in some cases driving them away from social media, and have “review bombed” certain movies like ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Captain Marvel’, burying them with negative reactions before they had even been released.
While usually these online activities have no impact, such vocal outrage has recently resulted in a studio actually making a major change. After fans attacked the trailer for ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’, director Jeff Fowler vowed to redesign the titular CGI video game character before the film’s release. Paramount subsequently pushed the picture from its November 8, 2019 release date, to February 14, 2020. Is this a good thing? Obviously, fans will get something they will hopefully like better, but should they have that much power?
Maybe ‘Candyman’ will address that.
Bernard Rose directed the 1992 original, which starred Tony Todd as the titular ghoul, a former slave, brutally murdered after falling in love with a white woman. As the Candyman, he returned to inflict carnage on the Cabrini-Green housing projects in Chicago, an area that has since been gentrified.
Nia DaCosta is directing the reboot, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II starring in the title role. Original Candyman Tony Todd is expected to appear in some capacity, although Cooper wouldn’t comment.
“Tony Todd is just no comment, full stop.”
The new ‘Candyman’ is due in theaters on June 12, 2020.
Jax's earliest memory is of watching 'Batman,' followed shortly by a memory of playing Batman & Robin with a friend, which entailed running outside in just their underwear and towels as capes. When adults told them they couldn't run around outside in their underwear, both boys promptly whipped theirs off and ran around in just capes.
