Nia DaCosta's "spiritual sequel" to 1992's Candyman is already becoming one of the most highly-anticipated horror films of 2020, and even more so now that it has been confirmed that Helen Lyle will be returning for the remake.
Helen Lyle, who was originally portrayed by Virginia Madsen in Bernard Rose's 1992 original movie, was the protagonist of the first film and had a twisted - but still somehow beautiful - relationship with the Candyman (Tony Todd). In the original film, Lyle was a graduate student who became obsessed with the myth surrounding the Cabrini-Green housing project in Chicago, and ended up coming face-to-face with the Candyman in the flesh. The racially-charged, tragic story of Daniel Robitaille fueled two sequels to the film, which never quite reached the potential of the first, though the second installment was at least worthy of the franchise name.
With news of Helen Lyle's inclusion in Candyman's remake, the speculation as to how she might come into play has already begun. It could mean a lot of things for the remake, which has kept its plot details tightly under wraps.
First and foremost, it's important to note that Virginia Madsen will not be reprising her role as the character, as far as we know. Cassie Kramer has been announced as the new Helen Lyle. DaCosta has been careful about avoiding too many plot spoilers for Candyman, but this new information could point to the movie taking place after the events of the 1992 original movie. For a while, reports claimed that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II would be playing the titular role, but this has since been debunked by the director. Tony Todd is involved with the project in some capacity as well, though whether he's portraying Candyman is also unknown. Even so, as Helen Lyle is returning, it's more than likely she'll be around to interact with Candyman in some capacity, as the two had an unmistakable tether following the events of the original film.
In 1992's Candyman, Helen died and became a vengeful spirit similarly to the Candyman himself; by the end of the film, she was entrenched in the same lore and myth that gave birth to her own obsession. This could mean that, if the events of the remake do follow the original film, Helen might have become a lasting part of Cabrini-Green's legacy alongside Candyman. The movie has been filming in various locations throughout Chicago, and is intended to be set in the present-day location of Cabrini-Green that has been gentrified. It's possible Helen and Candyman remain as two halves of the same whole in this location. If Helen has become legend in her own way, her inclusion could speak to the gentrification of the city and means she has persisted somehow in a world that is slowly seeing its traditions and culture displaced.
The news is both welcome and exciting for fans of Candyman, and, while much of the discussion surrounding the film is merely speculative, it's an exciting turn that could mean big things for the franchise on the whole.
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