Jordan Peele’s ‘Candyman’ Finds Its Star (EXCLUSIVE)

There’s a new “Candyman” in town.

Though no deal is done, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is in talks to star in MGM’s new retelling of the classic horror tale with Jordan Peele producing.

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“Little Woods” writer-director Nia DaCosta is on board to helm. MGM and Win Rosenfeld are producing with Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions.

The studio is touting the upcoming film as a “spiritual sequel” to the original. It will return to the neighborhood where the legend began: the now-gentrified section of Chicago where the Cabrini-Green housing projects once stood. The original “Candyman” was released in 1992 and follows a graduate student who explores the legend of Candyman while writing a thesis on urban legends.

“Candyman” is expected to hit theaters on June 12, 2020. Production is expected to begin next spring.

Abdul-Mateen, who portrayed the villainous Cadillac in Netflix’s “The Get Down,” will appear next in Peele’s thriller “Us.” He is also set to star in HBO’s “Watchmen” series.

MGM is producing and financing “Candyman,” while Universal Pictures will handle its domestic theatrical distribution. Adam Rosenberg, MGM’s co-president of production, and Tabitha Shick, MGM’s VP of production, will oversee the movie on behalf of the studio and Ian Cooper will produce for Monkeypaw.

Abdul-Mateen is repped by Gersh and Anonymous Content.

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