It will be a little longer before Candyman can haunt a new generation of audiences. Universal and MGM have pushed back the horror film from Oct. 16 to some time in 2021. While the coronavirus pandemic has seen a number of films bypass theaters, MGM, Universal and the filmmakers behind Candyman are committed to a theatrical release for the movie, with a new date expected in the coming weeks.
The news of the shift comes after Christopher Nolan’s Tenet released into a U.S. theatrical market, where many multiplexes are still closed across the nation due to the pandemic. Earlier today, Warner Bros. shifted blockbuster release Wonder Woman 1984 to Dec. 25.
Candyman hails from filmmaker Nia DaCosta, who since completing the film has signed on to direct Captain Marvel 2 for Marvel Studios. DaCosta co-wrote the script with Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld, whose Monkeypaw Productions is producing. The film stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo and Vanessa Williams. It takes place in the now-gentrified area surrounding Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects, where in the original 1992 film a grad student was investigating an urban legend about a hook-handed killer.
Before COVID-19 shut down theaters in mid-March, Candyman was initially slated for release in June of this year. Though Candyman has vacated the Oct. 16 spot, the indie romantic drama 2 Hearts remains set for a theatrical release on the date via Freestyle Releasing.
