From ‘Aquaman’ To ‘Candyman’, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II In Talks For Jordan Peele’s Horror Sequel

Jordan Peele has gone from creating one of the most innovative and socially relevant horror-thrillers in Get Out, to a becoming renowned producer with an eye for content and talent. His last production in BlacKkKlansman won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and he has also produced the upcoming reboot of The Twilight Zone, as The Inquisitr recently reported. The hits keep on coming for Peele as he’s also producing a sequel to a horror classic, Candyman.

While official production on Candyman is yet to begin, Peele and his team seem to have found the man for their lead character in Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. As reported by Variety, Abdul-Mateen II is currently in talks to play the title character for the sequel, a role that should offer the young actor a much bigger spotlight than he’s been used to thus far.

Abdul-Mateen II first got on the map in the Netflix original The Getdown, but it wasn’t until the reboot of Baywatch starring Dwayne Johnson that he got significant screentime in a commercially mainstream venture. Going from the beach to the circus, the actor also had a very brief appearance in The Greatest Showman. However, his rise to fame arrived when he was cast as the sympathetic villain in last year’s Aquaman, giving him a much better chance to showcase his talent. Playing the popular comic book character Black Manta provided the actor with a lot of exposure, which has clearly been leveraged into bigger and better roles. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II can next be seen in the upcoming HBO series Watchmen, and also in a key role in Us, directed by Jordan Peele himself.

Candyman was originally a horror film trilogy that began in 1992, about a graduate student researching urban legends, and coming across one herself. The original Candyman himself was played by Tony Todd who appeared in all three films as a ghost who was the son of a slave. When hearing about the new Candyman from Peele, Todd spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his thoughts.

“I know he’s a fan. “We’re waiting just like the rest of the world. I’m hoping I will appear in the film in some form of fashion. Wouldn’t that make sense? But it’s Hollywood, so I won’t take it personally if for some reason it doesn’t work out.”

While no other stars have been confirmed for the new Candyman, the film will be directed by Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) should production begin in the spring.

Candyman is expected to release on June 12, 2020.