Chucky: Everything We Know About The Child's Play Spin-Off Series

Chucky is the spin-off show from the long-running Child's Play horror series. It's currently shooting and is set to arrive later this year on the Syfy and USA Network.

The franchise kicked off in 1988 with the original Child's Play. The movie was written by 24-year-old film student Don Mancini, and directed by Tom Holland (not the one that plays Spider-Man), who had previously helmed the hit vampire comedy Fright Night. The movie focused on Andy, a boy who is given a doll named Chucky by his mom. Unfortunately, the toy has been possessed by the spirit of a dead serial killer Charles Lee Ray, and embarks on a bloody killing spree. The film's mix of dark humor and inventive slasher thrills helped make it a success and launched a franchise.

Since then there have been a six sequels and a reboot. The series took a more comedic and self-referential tone with the fourth film, Bride of Chucky, and Mancini took over directing duties on the series from the fifth movie, Seed of Chucky. The latest film in the main series to date was 2017's Cult of Chucky.

In 2019, the remake of Child's Play was released--this movie was made without Mancini's involvement, and featured Mark Hamill as Chucky. Mancini was vocal about his dissatisfaction with MGM's decision to remake the film, arguing that it might damage his ability to make more films in his own series. The movie was a modest success, but no sequel has been announced since then.

Thankfully, the original Chucky is coming back. In early 2019 it was reported that Mancini was developing a new TV show, and the title was subsequently confirmed to be simply Chucky. It's set to air on both Syfy and USA Network, and with production now underway, here's everything we know so far about the next appearance from the iconic killer doll....

What's the premiere date?

Chucky's premiere date hasn't been announced yet. However, SyFy has confirmed that the show will arrive in the fall.

Who's the showrunner?

The Chucky showrunner is Don Mancini. With the exception of the 2019 remake, Mancini has written every movie in the series to date, and directed the last three. Mancini has also written every episode of the show, and will direct the first episode, which is titled "Death by Misadventure."

What's the story?

Chucky is set to move the doll's murderous mayhem to smalltown America. The show's official synopsis reads, "After a vintage Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos as a series of horrifying murders begin to expose the town's hypocrisies and secrets. Meanwhile, the arrival of enemies--and allies--from Chucky's past threatens to expose the truth behind the killings, as well as the demon doll's untold origins as a seemingly ordinary child who somehow became this notorious monster."

Mancini has also stated that the new show will deal with the issues of growing up in the 21st century, as well as delivering some old-school scares.

"It's a return to the straightforward horror scariness of the first couple of movies involving a whole new group of kids," he told SyFy Wire. "One thing I think I can probably safely say is that it's a look at what it means to be a kid today in the 21st century as distinct from what it was like to be a kid in the 1980s when we first showed up on the scene. That's one thing I think people can look forward to and thinking about, ‘How does Chucky operate in a world where kids spend so much of their time on social media?' I think the prospect of seeing Chucky sharpen his skills and add to his toolbox, some of the technical goodies that we have at our disposal now, that's something I think people will find pretty interesting."

Will Chucky swear?

Chucky is known for his inventively bad language, but while this isn't an issue for an R-rated movie, things can get a bit trickier on cable TV. Thankfully, Mancini addressed this issue with SyFy early on and reached an agreement about how much swearing will be allowed. "It's such an intrinsic part of his character, it would just seem wrong if he couldn't," Mancini said at last year's virtual Comic-Con. "Fortunately, before we signed on the dotted line, they confirmed, yes, he can. I think he can drop, like, eight f-bombs per episode, or something like that--eight to ten, something like that--and I think there's variations depending on what time it airs." Thank f*** for that.

Who's coming back?

There are a few familiar names returning to the Child's Play franchise for the new show. Brad Dourif will be back as the voice of Chucky, having performed the role in every non-reboot movie since the original. He'll be joined by Jennifer Tilly, who will play Tiffany, Chucky's equally dangerous bride. It's not yet known if Tilly will play Tiffany in human form or just voice the doll version, as Tiffany has appeared in both forms in previous movies.

Other returning cast members include Fiona Dourif, Alex Vincent, and Christine Elise McCarthy. Dourif played the character of Nina Pierce in Curse of Chucky and Cult of Chucky--the latter film ended with Nina being possessed by Chucky. Vincent starred in the first two Child's Play movies as Andy, the young boy who is first given the possessed doll, and as an adult he reprised the role in Curse of Chucky and Cult of Chucky. McCarthy played Andy's foster sister Kyle in Child's Play 2, and appeared in a brief post-credit cameo in Cult of Chucky.

Who are the new cast members?

In terms of the new cast, the line-up includes:

• Zackary Arthur (Transparent)
• Bjorgvin Arnarson (The Seventh Day)
• Teo Briones (Ratched)
• Lexa Doig (Stargate SG-1)
• Alyvia Alyn Lind (The Young and the Restless)
• Devon Sawa (Final Destination)
• Barbara Alyn Woods (One Tree Hill)

A few details have been revealed about their characters. Arthur is the show's young lead, and plays Jake Webber, who is a loner mourning the death of his mom. Sawa plays his dad Logan, while Doig plays his new wife Bree, who hides a "dark secret from her family." Woods plays Mayor Michelle Cross, while her character's daughter Lexy is played by Woods's real-life daughter Lind.

Is there a trailer?

Chucky only started production in early April, so we're yet to see a trailer or proper footage. However, a teaser was released to mark the start of shooting, that showed the doll being constructed and featured Dourif declaring that Chucky "always comes back!"