MGM and Orion Pictures’ reboot of Child’s Play will feature a reimagining of everyone’s favorite killer doll, Chucky. MGM announced the project this past July and left many fans split in regards to the new film, as original creator Don Mancini is still continuing his narrative in the form of a TV series. The red-headed doll has been terrorizing audiences for 30 years now, and it’ll finally be receiving the reboot treatment next summer.
Audiences were first introduced to Chucky in Tom Holland’s 1988 horror hit, Child’s Play, and ever since the pint-sized killer has been slashing his way through victims. Chucky, the doll possessed by a dead serial killer, would set its sights on Andy Barclay, a six-year-old boy who had just received Chucky as a birthday present. Child’s Play’s success would lead to multiple sequels, the most recent being 2017’s Cult of Chucky, and while they weren’t all well received, they still managed to attract an audience. A first glimpse at the new doll was showcased earlier this year, but now a statement on the doll’s upgrade process has been released.
As revealed today, the upcoming reboot will feature a reimagining of the possessed doll. MGM and Orion Pictures have now made it known that Todd Masters’ FX studio, MastersFX, were the creative minds behind the newly-crafted doll. The studio has been involved in several recent films including Skyscraper, and The Belko Experiment. A press release from MGM and Orion detailed the following:
Child’s Play will be directed by Lars Klevberg, and similar to Mancini’s original concept, it’ll follow a single mother who buys her son a “Buddi” doll, which ends up being more sinister in nature than she realized. Production on the film wrapped last month, and since then the studio has been actively promoting the upcoming project. Sadly the film won’t feature Brad Dourif reprising his role as Chucky, but he’ll be participating in Mancini’s TV series. Child’s Play stars Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry, Gabriel Bateman, Marlon Kazadi, Ty Consiglio, Beatrice Kitsos, and Nicole Anthony.
“MastersFX has brought the new Chucky doll to life on screen like never before in a mixture of practical on-set puppet work and digital FX enhancements. Todd Masters, founder of MastersFX, and his team took six weeks to prepare and assemble seven practical animatronic puppets, each with interchangeable arms and heads that perform a variety of required actions on set. The FX team, led by ace puppeteer Keith Arbuthnot, along with Mike Fields, Jason Ward and Josh Raymond each controlled a different part of the doll.”
Chucky was one of the last original horror icons to not fall victim to the reboot treatment, but it was only a matter of time. And, while there are those who aren’t supporting Child’s Play, they can still look forward to Mancini’s continuation. Chucky has been a staple in the genre for many years now, and it’s refreshing to see the killer doll make his way back to the big screen, as it’s been absent since 2004’s Seed of Chucky.
More: Child’s Play Creator Rejected Producer Credit On MGM’s Reboot
Source: MGM/Orion Pictures
- Childs Play Release Date: 2019-06-21