Candyman Director Explains How Gentrification Plays Major Role in New Remake

Have you seen the first trailer for the Candyman remake? The teaser certainly makes it clear that the housing project that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's character becomes interested in is going to be a huge part of the film. Not surprisingly, director Nia DaCosta has explained why we need to take note of Cabrini-Green and how gentrification affects the horror flick.

DaCosta recently attended a special press event where the first Candyman trailer was revealed (via Comicbook.com). According to the filmmaker, the whole process of renovating a housing project to please the middle class is a significant theme for the titular character. After all, Cabrini-Green itself no longer exists.

"Gentrification in our film is what helped us to reimagine the story, because Cabrini-Green is gone," DaCosta shared. "The movie in the '90s has a vision of Cabrini-Green where it's sort of on its way to being knocked down, and so going back there and seeing what's happened around that area –- there's an Arclight really close to where Cabrini-Green used to be now because it's gone, and a development in that area...but Cabrini itself has been left kind of untouched."

The filmmaker continued by explaining how the remains of the housing project became the starting point for the reboot's story.

"So what we do in our film is talk about the ghosts that are left behind because of gentrification, in particular at Cabrini-Green. And that's how we find our way into our reimagining of Candyman," DaCosta said.

There is certainly something haunting about Cabrini-Green although it isn't as drastically torn down as the housing project that appeared in the original film. Still, you can't help but wonder about the horrors that happened here that led to the birth of Candyman.

Candyman is produced by Us director Jordan Peele and is scheduled for release on June 12.

Related: Watch Creepy First Trailer for Jordan Peele's Candyman