Yahya Abdul-Mateen II To Play Title Role In New Candyman

The casting for producer Jordan Peele’s spiritual sequel to Candyman continues to move along, as now the film has its lead. Variety reports that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who played Black Manta in Aquaman, is set to star as the new Candyman in the update, taking over from original star Tony Todd. Abdul-Mateen previously worked with Peele on the new horror film Us, which will premiere next month.

Candyman will be written and directed by Nia DaCosta (Little Woods). MGM and Win Rosenfeld will produce with Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions. The film will return to the now-gentrified section of Chicago which previously was home to the Cabrini-Green housing projects featured in the 1992 original film. That movie followed a graduate student who explored the urban legend of the Candyman while writing a thesis. The new film is expected to arrive in theaters on June 12, 2020, with production beginning next spring.

This news comes after Todd said that he hadn’t been approached to appear in the new film. Todd said that he hopes he will appear in some form in the new movie, but that he “won’t take it personally if for some reason it doesn’t work out.”