Writer-director Nia DaCosta's Little Woods stars Tessa Thompson, Lily James, James Badge Dale, and Lance Reddick and is described as a modern Western. Set in North Dakota, the film tells the story of two estranged sisters who are driven to work outside the law to better their lives when their mother dies, leaving them with one week to pay back her mortgage. Doesn't sound very "horror" now does it? So what was it that led Jordan Peele to hand over the helm of his upcoming reboot of Clive Barker's Candyman to the relative newcomer? Well, it turns out that the director and the new master of horror bonded over, you guessed it, their love for all things horror. Good to know, right? Specifically, DaCosta says this about getting the job.

"I think something that we connect on a lot was the way we view horror and our love of horror. I love Candyman, but also just like breaking down what horror is, how it's represented, what it means, and why it's important. I think we really connected on that, and so that's a lot of what our conversations have been about... that I can tell you. It's been great. He's a wonderful creator, collaborator, human, artist."

Nia DaCosta then goes on to talk a bit about why it is she likes genres such as horror and thrillers.

"What I like about genres like thrillers, and why I think tensions are important for all movies, including dramas, it's physicalizing what the characters are feeling for the audience. That's really important and gets the audience to engage and to lean in. And then with horror, you can sneak in messages. You know, sneak in what you think about the world around you, and how actually horrifying the world is. You get to hide it in these layers. 'This is about a ghost, but really it's about paranoia and a woman's place in the world.' Or, you know, 'This is about a guy meeting his girlfriend's parents, but really it's about... Actually, a guy meeting his girlfriend's parents.'"

Casting is still in development for the upcoming sequel, but there is a rumor circling about that says that Lakeith Stanfield (Death Note, Get Out) will possibly star in the movie as the main titular character, taking over the reins and the hooked hand from horror icon Tony Todd. No word on if this is true or not. At least not yet. That said, we do know that the new film is set to feature Aquaman villain Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as a visual artist named Anthony who takes on an interest seeking the Candyman and becomes obsessed with the bloody legend ala Virginia Madsen's character Helen Lyle from Bernard Rose's original film. And If Beale Street Could Talk actress Teyonah Parris is set to play Abdul-Mateen's art dealer girlfriend. There is still no word if any castmembers from Rose's 1992 film such as Todd and Madsen will reprise their roles.

This new Candyman film will serve as a "spiritual sequel" to the 1992 movie, taking place back in the new gentrified Cabrini Green, where the old housing projects development once stood in Chicago. Peele will produce the remake through his Monkeypaw Productions with Universal and MGM. Win Rosenfeld will co-produce the film, while Nia DaCosta will serve as the director. Filming starts in Spring 2019 heading towards a theatrical release set for June 12, 2020. This story comes to us via CinemaBlend.