If there’s one toy that we despised as kids and that got us all terrified, that would be Chucky.
“Child’s Play” is an American horror film created by Don Mancini, directed and co-written by Tom Holland and produced by Kirschner. It was released in 1988 about a serial killer named Charles Lee Ray, or “Chucky” who was mortally wounded after being shot in the chest by an officer. He performed a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a “Good Guys” doll. He ends up with a boy named Andy as a birthday gift but needs to get his soul out of the doll before the transfer becomes permanent, and thus he tries everything to posses the little boy.
The film turned into a slasher franchise that comprises six sequels, a remake, comic books, a video game, tie-in merchandise and now, an upcoming television series is on its way.
Syfy announced at the Television Critics Association winter press tour that they had acquired the television rights to the films. The new Chucky series will have the perfect workteam consisting of producer David Kirschner (Hocus Pocus, Frailty), Brad Dourif (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Deadwood) to voice the character and Mancini himself.
They were involved in all original seven films which it’s more likely that the television series will keep Chucky’s touch since he has remained a fixture of the horror genre and he’s still going stronger after decades.
“The character Don and David created has terrified audiences for over 30 years,” said Chris McCumber, president of Entertainment Networks USA & Syfy for NBCUniversal. “The longevity and legacy of Chucky speaks to the creative storytelling and the loyal fans the film series has collected over the years. We are excited to once again partner with Nick and UCP on this new Syfy series, and are incredibly proud to bring Chucky to television for the first time with the original creators.”
Mancini told Syfy. “From film to film, I’ve always tried to create a different tone, plug Chucky into a different subgenre. We’ve gone from straightforward slasher to comedy to crazy satirical comedy and back to straightforward horror again.”
The official description for the series reads: “After a vintage Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos as a series of horrifying murders begin to expose the town’s hypocrisies and secrets. Meanwhile, the arrival of enemies and allies from Chucky’s past threatens to expose the truth behind the killings, as well as the demon doll’s untold origins as a seemingly ordinary child who somehow became this notorious monster.”
Mancini also revealed to SYFY WIRE, “With this TV show, our mission has been to preserve the straightforward scariness of the original film or the first couple of films. But at the same time, continue on with this ever-expanding tapestry of consistent story that we’ve spun over the course of seven movies and 30-some years. I think fans are really gonna love to see the new characters that we introduce into this realm and just to see how they came off of our classic characters. Not just Chucky, but some of the others that you may be hoping to see. There’s a good chance they may turn up.”
He continued, “It’s so important to give Chucky new weapons, new strategies, and new targets, new goals … Chucky has a different goal in the TV show than he’s ever had before, and it’s specifically something that is designed to evoke something that’s going on in the zeitgeist today.”
The series premieres on both SYFY and USA Network in 2021. You can see the first Chucky TV series trailer below.