The forthcomingCandymanadaptation now has a haunting and timely animated prologue to accompany it. The new prologue was unveiled byCandymandirectorNia DaCostaon Twitter. DaCosta’s “spiritual sequel” to the 1992 horror movie, which starredTony ToddandVirginia Madsen,has been delayedto June 08, 2025. This means it’s the perfect time to get even better acquainted with DaCosta’s vision for this chilling tale.
DaCosta shared the animated prologue onTwitter, with a brief but powerful introduction accompanying it. The director writes, “CANDYMAN, at the intersection of white violence and black pain, is about unwilling martyrs. The people they were, the symbols we turn them into, the monsters we are told they must have been.”
From there, we watch three short stories combined into a two-and-a-half minute video which hint at the origins of the titular Candyman and other Black victims at the hands of the police and white people. Framed by the image of an artist painting portraits, we first see a factory worker offer candy to children before being pursued and beaten to death by the cops. In another brief montage, a young boy riding his bike is accused of something worthy of being locked in jail and executed for. The final story teases the origins of Candyman, who was born into slavery and grew up to be an artist who was killed when it was discovered he was in love with a white woman.
This animation style is seen briefly in theCandymantrailer; DaCosta confirmed more of it would be seen in the movie in a follow-up tweet. CreditingManual Cinemawith the shadow puppetry work and the haunting score to musical artistLichens, DaCosta noted, “There’ll be much more where that came from in the film.”
The newCandymantale starsYahya Abdul-Mateen II(Watchmen) as Anthony McCoy, a Chicago-area artist whose interest in the story of Candyman borders on obsession and slowly consumes his life.Candymanalso starsTeyonah Parris(Chi-raq),Colman Domingo(Selma), andNathan Stewart-Jarrett(Four Weddings and a Funeral).
Candymanis scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 23, 2025. For more, check out which horror movies we recommend watchingif you loved this year’sThe Invisible Man(includingCandyman!).
