Tony Todd was rumored to be returning to his signature role for the 2020 Candyman movie, and the director of the upcoming film is now teasing the possibility. Todd is of course a certified horror icon, having spent much of his long acting career working within the genre, and now being a regular fixture on the fan convention circuit. Todd may be best known for playing Candyman, but his resume also contains notable films like Night of the Living Dead 1990, the Final Destination franchise, the Hatchet series, and more. His deep, mesmerizing voice has also led him to lots of vocal roles as well.
After originating the role in 1992’s first Candyman movie, Todd returned to play the popular slasher villain in 1995’s Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh and 1999’s Candyman: Day of the Dead. While Todd has expressed a desire to star in a fourth Candyman entry ever since, it never came to pass. In 2018, the Candyman franchise was granted a new lease on life when Jordan Peele agreed to come aboard as a producer, eventually selecting Nia DaCosta to direct.
In May 2019, Todd himself revealed that he had been contacted by Peele to participate in the new Candyman, but it was unclear in what capacity. In September, it was reported that Todd would in fact be reprising the Candyman role, but that was never officially confirmed. Screen Rant spoke to the director of Candyman at a recent media event, and when asked about Todd’s status, she played coy, but seemed to be leaving the door open.
Is Tony Todd In Candyman 2020? Director Teases Return
While that’s certainly not an official confirmation that Candyman 2020 will include Tony Todd, it’s not a denial either, which could be easily given were Todd not involved. That naturally leads one to the conclusion that he’ll appear in the film, which again, Todd himself said last year he had been contacted about doing. It’s likely that Candyman’s creative team would just rather fans wait and see exactly how Todd fits into the picture on the big screen this summer.
Well, well well… (laughter) I really love Tony Todd. I think he’s iconic. This film…We did this film and it’s great. Tony is great. Jordan is great. And I don’t want to give anything away.
No matter how Todd appears in Candyman, it’ll be a crowd-pleasing moment, as fans will no doubt be happy to see him. This will go double if he’s actually playing the titular character. Still, Todd is 65-years-old, so it would be understandable if he’s somehow used to pass the torch to a younger Candyman actor that could potentially carry on the franchise going forward. For now, fans will just have to wait and hope that Todd gets to make them his victims once again.
More: What Original Candyman Lead’s Return Means For The Remake
- Candyman Release Date: 2021-08-27