Chucky creator says reuniting Bound cast for season 2 was 'queer fever dream come true'
Back in June, it was announced that Chucky season 2 will feature a reunion of Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, and Joe Pantoliano, the three principal actors from the 1996 neo-noir Bound. Tilly, of course, has a long history with the killer doll franchise which stretches back to 1998's Bride of Chucky, but how did Chucky creator Don Mancini get Gershon and Pantoliano onboard?
"Jennifer was, not surprisingly, extremely instrumental in helping put all of that together," says Mancini. "I had coincidentally met Gina before I ever met Jennifer, back in the '90s, through my friend Mike Werb, who was one of the writers on Face/Off, which Gina was in. We had a little bit of interaction over the the years, and talked about working together on and off, and we're finally able to make it work with this show. Like most gay people, I love Bound. I've loved it for 30 years and it was always thrilling for me to be working with Jennifer Tilly shortly after that film and just to be able to reunite that cast and work with them is kind of a queer fever dream come true, honestly. So, yeah, super excited to do that!"
Dino De Laurentiis/Summit/Kobal/Shutterstock Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, and Joe Pantoliano in 'Bound'
Mancini is less forthcoming on exactly how the Bound cast will reunite on the show.
"I don't want to say too much," he demurs. "We also have Meg Tilly (Jennifer's actor sister) and Sutton Stracke. Meg, I've know glancingly over the years through Jennifer. Sutton Stracke is in real-life Jennifer's good friend who is on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I had met Sutton a couple of times through Jen over the years, and again can't say too much, but we draw Sutton into our orbit. It's just such a thrill to work with all of these amazing actors. I think people are going to like it."
Rafy/SYFY Alyvia Alyn Lind as Lexy Cross in 'Chucky' season 2
In Chucky season 2, Mancini channels his own Catholic upbringing by sending season 1 survivors Jake (Zackary Arthur), his boyfriend Devon (Bj?rgvin Arnarson), and their pal Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind) into the care of nuns and priests. "Our kids are sent to a Catholic reform school," says Mancini. "So we follow this budding gay relationship in a Catholic school setting. As you can imagine, there's going to be some conflict going on." As you can also imagine, the Brad Dourif-voiced Chucky does not make things any easier. "Chucky's not done with them," says Mancini. "He has sworn vengeance on those who thwarted him in season 1 and he attempts to get it."
At the end of season 1, Tilly's character Tiffany (who has possessed the body of the "real" Jennifer Tilly) removed the limbs of Fiona Dourif's Nica. So, how is that relationship going? "She continues to view Nica through her very psychotic lens," says Mancini. "They're living a life that is very Sunset Boulevard, holed up in this Hollywood home."
Devon Sawa also returns despite perishing (twice!) in season 1. "In the way that Ryan Murphy would bring actors back in different roles [on American Horror Story], I guess Devon Sawa is this franchise's Jessica Lange," laughs Mancini. "He's playing the headmaster of the school where the kids get sent."
As for new cast members, Lachlan Watson plays Chucky and Tiffany's gender fluid offspring Glen/Glenda and Bella Higginbotham portrays another pupil named Nadine.
"She is a kid that our three amigos meet at the school," says Mancini of the latter. "Initially, she is not aware of what our three protagonists from last year are aware of, which is that Chucky is still alive in various forms and is coming for them. One of the interesting things is, this is a milieu, a realm where people believe in the supernatural. Is [the existence of Chucky] an interesting confirmation? Or is it a contradiction? And what does that do to your faith?"
Season 2 of Chucky premieres on Syfy and USA Oct. 5. Watch the season 2 trailer below.
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