Tony Todd is a Little “Meh” with New Candyman

I guess it happens to all actors. That point in your career where resisting old ground seems like moving backwards. Take Tony Todd for example. He is most well known for his role as the Candyman, but in the 20 years since his last turn as the hook-handed spook, he’s done some amazing things and established himself as much loved actor outside of the CM franchise. Just a few days back, Todd received the New York City Horror Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award, making it abundantly clear of his achievements in the horror genre.

So when the new broke that Candyman was getting a soft reboot, all eyes turned to Todd. Would he be returning to the role that really started it for him? Well, in an interview with Syfy Wire, he chats about his mixed feelings towards the project.

“I have mixed feelings because I thought they were gonna make this 15 years ago. If this had been 10 years ago when I had heard news, I would have been devastated. I would have fought for it. Now I’m in a different place. I’ve got so many other options that even if they make it without me, which I doubt, the attention the new movie will create will lead folks back to the original [film] because people like to see the source material.”

So whilst Todd believes it should be him playing Candyman, he’s got many other doors opening for him. It sounds like he doubts the prospects of the film, and that fans will ultimately just be drawn back to the original films. But one thing is for sure, Todd believes that the filmmakers won’t move ahead without him. 

The original 1992 film saw Todd starring alongside Virginia Madsen, who played a graduate, researching urban myths and legends. It’s through this research that she summons Daniel Robitaille’s ghost, known as the Candyman. The new film could be a direct sequel to the original, pushing the directed to video sequels aside, much like Halloween did back in October. If this is the case, Award-winning screenwriter Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld will definitely want to have Tony Todd on board their project. 

The new film is lasted to release in June 2020, so well keep our ears to the ground on any new news.