Yahya Abdul-Mateen II reportedly in talks to lead Jordon Peele's 'spiritual sequel' to Candyman

Jordon Peele’s upcoming reboot of Candyman reportedly has a new cast member in Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Mateen, who was last seen as Black Manta in the blockbuster film Aquaman , is apparently in talks to star in MGM’s new retelling of the classic horror tale with Peele producing. [caption id=“attachment_6163191” align=“alignnone” width=“824”] Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in Aquaman. Source: Twitter[/caption] Released in 1992, Candyman told the story of Daniel Robitaille, originally portrayed by Tony Todd, an urban legend who is summoned to kill when his name is said five times by a person facing a mirror. According to Variety, the makers are touting the upcoming film to be a ‘spiritual sequel’ to the original. It returns to the neighborhood where the legend began: the now-gentrified section of Chicago where the Cabrini-Green housing projects once stood. While announcing the project earlier this year, Peele had said, “The original was a landmark film for black representation in the horror genre. We are honoured to bring the next chapter in the Candyman canon to life and eager to provide new audiences with an entry point to Clive Barker’s legend.” 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. Directed by Nia DaCosta, the Candyman sequel is slated to hit theaters 12 June, 2020. Production is expected to begin next spring. Bankrolled by MGM, Universal Pictures will handle its domestic theatrical distribution and Ian Cooper will produce for Monkeypaw.