As with all good things, there’s usually a Black woman at the helm. And the reimagining of Candyman is no different. From Oscar winner Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta comes a brand new story that will make an entirely new generation afraid to say his name five times.
The trailer for Candyman hit the interwebs Thursday, featuring appearances from stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris and Colman Domingo.
In the trailer we meet visual artist Anthony McCoy (Abdul-Mateen) and his boo (Parris), who are living in a newly-renovated gentrified version of Cabrini Green. (Fans may remember that in the original 1992 film, Candyman haunted and terrorized Chicago’s housing project.) Desperate to make a name for himself in his stalling career, McCoy begins painting versions of Candyman and unknowingly opens a door for the menacing to continue.
When fans viewed the trailer, they immediately noticed that it featured a sinister version of Destiny’s Child 1999 hit, “Say My Name.” Director DaCosta, who also wrote the screenplay with Peele and Win Rosenfeld, said at a special screening Wednesday that the song was an easy choice for her.
She also explained what fans can expect from the film, noting that the gentrification of the Chicago neighborhood around Cabrini Green is what helped jumpstart the film’s script.
“What we do in our film is talk about the ghosts that are left behind,” she said to a room full of journalists. “That’s how we find our way into our reimagining of Candyman.”
DaCosta added that her partnership with Peele allowed her to really touch of issues affected Black people, such as gentrification. “He’s so good at bringing social issues to the fore,” she added.
Before she let us all go, DaCosta made sure we were all aware of one magical thing: “There’s so many Black people in this trailer and in this movie and like all of our leads are Black and that was really exciting to me,” she emphasized, adding that she hopes people “find some sort of identify and place in that.”
Amen girl.
Candyman, also starring Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, hits theaters June 12.