‘Candyman’: Jordan Peele Explains Why Nia DaCosta was a Better Fit to Direct

We were all a little more than disappointed when the release of the latest addition to the Candyman franchise was pushed back due to Corona virus fears. Many fans were eager to see the new direction the story would take after Jordan Peele became attached. While Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions allowed Candyman to return to screens, it was Nia DaCosta that brought horror fans’ favorite urban legend back to life. 

While Peele has been making waves on the horror scene since 2017’s Get Out and last year’s Us, he says he was not the right person to take on the hook-handed villain’s return. “I was working on Us when this would have happened,” Peele told Empire in their new Wonder Woman 1984 issue. “But quite honestly, Nia is better to shoot this than I am. I’m way too obsessed with the original tales in my head. I probably wouldn’t be any good. But Nia has a steady manner about her which you don’t see a lot in the horror space. She’s refined, elegant, every shot is beautiful. It’s a beautiful, beautiful movie. I’m so glad I didn’t mess it up.”

DaCosta says that taking on a Black horror villain allowed her to update some of the old tropes and politics of the original story. Such as the gentrification and the changing face of the Cabrini-Green housing projects. “There is definitely a sense of taking ownership, and telling a Black story about Black people,” says DaCosta. “It was very important for all of us to have our main character be Black, and for this experience to be through the Black lens. Let’s make sure we change the lens now.”

Candyman stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, and Colman Domingo. Even though we aren’t 100% which character he will be playing, we also know that the original Candyman, Tony Todd, is attached. But we will have to wait until the film’s release to find out which character he will play. For now, you can check out the trailer below. Nia DaCosta’s Candyman comes to theaters this September. Be sure to follow ScaryNerd for more of all things horror.