Tony Todd's performances remained good in the role, and the first sequel has its moments.
It's also not hard to see why so many are averse to the idea of Candyman not being played by Todd, as his work with the character made him a full-fledged horror genre icon. While Todd has had other great roles in horror - including Ben in Hatchet - it's clear that Candyman will be what he's most ed for as an actor, long after he eventually retires.
When a character is that closely linked with the actor playing them, it can be difficult for fans to adjust to a change. In Candyman's case though, the new legend shown off in the Candyman 2021 movie's latest trailer appears to not be a recasting, but instead a new character in the titular role. While Todd has long been rumored to be playing his Candyman somewhere in the new movie, even if he doesn't, having a different Candyman emerge is not without clear precedent.
The trailer for Candyman 2021 tells a new legend, one concerning a Black man who gave candy to the kids in Chicago, Cabrini Green, but was then murdered after razor blades were found in the sweets. It turned out he was innocent, and he's seemingly become a vengeful spirit in the vein of Todd's Daniel Robitalle. Something similar happened to Helen Lyle, played by Virginia Madsen in the 1992 original. After Helen says Candyman's name five times, she's relentlessly pursued and tormented by him until she has nothing left but to go with him and become an immortal legend herself. It's heavily implied that Helen was the reincarnation of Daniel's long-lost love, explaining the connection.
While Helen turns away from Candyman at the last minute in order to save the life of baby Anthony McCoy - the grown-up protagonist of the 2021 movie - she horrifically burns to death as a result, and it's clear from the macabre and somber sendoff she gets from Cabrini Green's residents that they know she's probably not gone for good. Sure enough, when her cheating - and now grieving - husband Trevor says Helen's name five times into a mirror, she appears as a ghost, gutting him with her own metal hook. This murder surely continued her local legend, and one wonders if Helen Lyle's spirit will return alongside Todd's Candyman in the new film at some point.
