‘Child's Play’ creator Don Mancini explains how the 2019 reboot could have impacted his upcoming ‘Chucky’ TV show. Mancini started the ‘Child's Play’ franchise back in 1988. Six sequels were released afterward within the same timeline before a reboot from the up-and-coming director Lars Klevberg came out. The ‘Child's Play’ reboot was released in 2019, focusing on a high-tech ‘Chucky’ doll, with Mark Hamill voicing the iconic character.
While some horror fans were excited to see the killer doll back up on the big screen, others were concerned since Mancini and long-time ‘Chucky’ voice actor Brad Dourif were not involved in the film. In fact, both of them seemed to be incredibly against the idea of rebooting the series, likely because Mancini still had plans to continue his story in a TV show. Mancini even rejected a producer credit on the reboot. MGM's film got mixed reviews upon release, making ‘Child's Play’ sequels within the reboot continuity unlikely to happen.
Some may be disappointed that a new ‘Child's Play 2’ might not happen, but Mancini himself seems relieved. In an interview with Comicbook, Mancini was asked if he felt like he was reclaiming the character after the reboot. The ‘Child's Play’ creator explained that the reception of the reboot could have affected his TV show if Universal decided there wasn't enough interest in the character. Mancini also hasn't seen the reboot because he doesn't want to be influenced by another version of his character.
If ‘Child's Play 2’ was greenlit, it certainly could have negatively affected Mancini's upcoming series. Having two different versions of the same character could have confused casual viewers and created competition for his show. That being said, if ‘Child's Play 2’ and ‘Chucky’ did come out at the same time, Mancini would have had the upper hand. Die-hard fans would have been more excited to see the next chapter in Mancini's story, and with theaters still recovering from the pandemic, a TV show is likely to draw in a bigger crowd. -Comicbook