After leaving us dangling off a White House cliff simply earlier than Halloween, Chucky returns tomorrow to complete out its third season. Extra mayhem awaits in Washington, D.C. for Chucky and the teenagers who’re determined to take him down, to not point out Tiffany, caught on Texas’ Demise Row. Plus, Chucky’s still facing a new kind of horror: getting older! Quickly!
io9 bought an opportunity to speak to Chucky creator Don Mancini to be taught extra about what’s to come back for the killer doll and his crew of foes, buddies, frenemies, and (in fact) gruesomely mutilated victims.
Cheryl Eddy, io9: We’ve spent three seasons with Jake, Devon, and Lexy and we will’t assist however root for them. However Chucky is the “hero” of the franchise and we’ll at all times need him to succeed. How do you strategy writing these characters in order that there’s enchantment on each side?
Don Mancini: Chucky is the villain. Or possibly the anti-hero. However I really like the way in which you specific that as a result of that’s sort of the way in which I really feel about it—I would like them all to be joyful one way or the other. However, I imply, I do like placing new obstacles within the path of these children. [The other Chucky writers and I] do take pleasure in figuring out with Chucky in [coming up with ways to] interrupt their path to happiness. I feel that’s a part of the enchantment of the present, and why YA as a style—which is one thing that we’ve accomplished for the primary time, actually, with the TV present—is an effective match for Chucky.
With Chucky, going all the way in which again to the flicks, we discovered that the type was at all times barely heightened—Chucky himself appears to function greatest in a barely heightened world, I feel as a result of he himself as a puppet is stylized. He’s like a stylized illustration of a human being. However there’s that uncanny valley that makes it really feel bizarre. In order that slight little bit of stylization, we attempt to imbue that in his complete world with out going full Tim Burton, is what I at all times say. I imply, I really like Tim Burton, however we at all times need to keep just a little extra naturalistic than a Tim Burton film. And I feel that’s the children. The teenage characters do this so effectively as a result of teenage feelings naturally are heightened and stylized. That’s why YA is an effective match for Chucky. However sure, I attempt to service all of the characters.
io9: There’s a second within the new episodes the place Chucky trash-talks different “killer doll” characters in popular culture, sort of an extension of his social media persona. Did you at all times have a scene like that in thoughts?
Mancini: Sure—particularly as a result of we’re on the identical studio, Common. In season three [the story is about] Chucky struggling together with his personal waning energy, his personal waning power as a killer. And in popular culture, I simply assume that that’s an amusingly identifiable type of existential dilemma to provide a slasher icon. I’ve been doing this for many years now, so when the Baby’s Play remake got here out a couple of years in the past, that was threatening to me, particularly as a result of I used to be growing the TV present at the moment. You by no means knew what may have occurred if that film had been some enormous success. It may have resulted in our TV present not taking place. It was simply this huge query mark. In order that in order that was existentially horrifying for me—I feel that’s a reasonably common factor to really feel whenever you get whenever you’ve been doing one thing for a sure variety of years. I simply thought it could be enjoyable to point out Chucky coping with an analogous emotion. And what higher approach to do this [than seeing] him clicking via channels and seeing M3GAN and the Boy and Annabelle—all of the completely different ones, and type of feeling threatened by them? I simply thought that was humorous and relatable.
io9: You talked about the 2019 Baby’s Play reboot film—which is best left previously—however there have been rumors currently that you just might need a brand new Chucky film within the works. What are you able to inform us about that?
Mancini: Little or no. Actually, I can’t actually say something extra. It’s like very early days of of talks, however it’s an thrilling, thrilling enterprise. I hope we’re going to get one other season of the present as effectively. I imply, I feel each can happen they usually can each coexist in there. My plan is to have all of it make sense by way of the continuity and the general mythology of the world we’re constructing; we gained’t contradict something.
io9: So in case you had your druthers, would it not be a theatrical launch that picks up the story of the TV present?
Mancini: Or it could possibly be, if we get a season 4, we choose up these story threads. And wherever we find yourself leaving off season 4, that the film may take over. I can’t say an excessive amount of as a result of there’s really a good trickier approach that it really works that makes it sort of cool. I do know it’s important to take that with an enormous grain of salt coming from me. It’s like I can’t say something, however it’s actually superb.
io9: I’ll say the top of season three, with out spoiling something, actually opens up the likelihood for a season 4. Hopefully we’ll get that announcement earlier than later.
Mancini: I hope so. I’m glad it labored. It appeared to work for individuals. They actually favored that twist.
io9: It was very cool to see the legendary John Waters return to the franchise in a brand new function. What’s it like working with John Waters as an actor and the way a lot enter did he have into his Chucky character?
Mancini: Having labored with him on Seed of Chucky and simply figuring out him and being a fan of his work, not simply the flicks, but additionally his work as a author, as an creator, and as a performer, he’s actually spectacular. However I do know him, so I feel, I and my fellow writers had been capable of tailor that character particularly for him. We wrote it with him in thoughts as a result of—who higher is type of spiritually to have brought on all the chaos that erupted from the cute Good Man doll?
io9: On this season we lastly see Brad Dourif past simply being Chucky’s voice. Was {that a} cool factor for everybody to expertise?
Mancini: It was incredible. He was on set only for a few days on Curse of Chucky, which we shot in 2012 or 2013. So it’s been 10 years. Yearly, whether or not it’s a brand new film or a brand new season of the TV present, I at all times need to give Brad new stuff to do to maintain him challenged and . He’s one of many best actors of his era, and now we have him at our disposal. I’d be remiss if I weren’t using that to the fullest. So after having giving him all these enjoyable variations on the Chucky persona final 12 months, the place he did Good Chucky and Colonel Chucky and whatnot, I simply thought, like, “Let’s have you ever within the flesh.” I knew I needed him to have scenes with the doll as a result of I knew—even earlier than I discovered the way to do it—I simply knew that that may be a cool factor to see. And scenes with Fiona [Dourif, Brad Dourif’s daughter and Chucky co-star] as younger Charles Lee Ray. As a result of that I simply assume Fiona is so nice as younger Charles Lee Ray. It was enjoyable to place them collectively and provides them stuff to do, and I feel it was sort of a enjoyable household occasion of their lives—one thing that they’ll at all times cherish. It was nice having him round, as a result of everybody’s on their toes: “Chucky’s in the home!” Everybody desires to make impression, however he’s not intimidating in any respect. He’s simply a lot enjoyable. And it was nice having him round for a month. He frolicked loads with the puppeteers, which was actually fascinating.
Chucky season three, half two premieres tomorrow, April 10, at 10 p.m. on USA and Syfy, with new episodes weekly till Could 1. You may as well stream episodes the subsequent day on Peacock.
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