Yahya Abdul-Mateen II To Play Titular Role In Jordan Peele’s ‘Candyman’

Fresh off his role as Black Manta in Aquaman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will return to the big screen as another iconic villain. According to Variety, the 32-year-old actor has been tapped to portray the titular character in Jordan Peele’s Candyman reboot.

Abdul-Mateen II should be considered one of the rising stars in Hollywood. In recent years he appeared in Netflix’s The Get Down, Baywatch and The Greatest Showman. This year, you’ll be able to watch him in HBO’s Watchmen series and Peele’s Us, which releases March 22nd.

Little Woods director Nia DaCosta is set to helm Candyman with a script from Peele and Win Rosenfield. The film will take place in the same Chicago neighborhoods as the original, which have become gentrified in the years since the events of the first film.

Last month, our own Caleb Sadd reported that Get Out star Lakeith Stanfield was in talks to star in the upcoming reboot as Anthony, a man in Chicago who is investigating the Candyman urban legend. Stanfield will play a role similar to the one Virginia Madsen had in the original 1992 film.

Do you think Yahya Abdul-Mateen II can take on such an iconic horror role? Let us know in the comments below!

Candyman will hit theaters June 12, 2020.