How is Devon Sawa back for 'Chucky' Season 2? The actor's return from the dead, explained

A resurrection is coming to the second season of Chucky with the return of Devon Sawa. Wait... how is that even possible?

You might recall that Sawa's dual characters —  Luke and Logan Wheeler — met nasty ends at the hand of the killer doll voiced by Brad Dourif. Before you ask, the answer is no — neither of them is coming back to life. Instead, Sawa will play a wholly new character, anthology-style! Sharing the news on Twitter back in May of this year showrunner Don Mancini wrote that he "COULDN’T RESIST" bringing Sawa back for more slasher fun.

Based on the Season 2 trailers released so far, it looks like Sawa will put on a clerical collar and play the skeptical priest of a theologically-driven academy for violent juvenile offenders. His belief in a higher power will be strained to its absolute limits, however, when Charles Lee Ray embarks on another murderous rampage. We're calling it now, people: his utter refusal to give credence to the dire warnings of Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur), Lexy Cross (Alyvia Alyn Lind), and Devon Evans (Björgvin Arnarson) is going to be his downfall. 

But who knows? Maybe he'll turn out to be a cool dude like Father Karras in The Exorcist and help our young heroes defeat the stab-happy incarnation of evil.

"One of the things I've liked doing over the years with the franchise is delving into different sub-genres of horror, and one of my favorite sub-genres of horror has always been the Catholic-based spooky horror movies," Mancini said during a recent interview with Total Film. "So being able to put Chucky in that world — Chucky with priests and nuns and Chucky in a mass, in confession, intersecting all of that stuff, that was really a lot of fun. I think that people will get a kick out of that.”

Is the actor becoming a bit of a good luck charm for the hit series? Will he continue to pop up in future seasons if we're lucky enough to get there? It sure seems that way! Sawa is to the Chucky-Verse what John Ratzenberger is to the Pixar canon. 

"I absolutely love Chucky," Sawa told Entertainment Weekly last year. "I think my managers and agents were a little nervous bringing Chucky to me. They probably didn't know what I would think. But when it came through my emails I was like, 'Oh my god, Chucky!' Like Bruce Campbell, this is something that's nostalgic to me — it means a lot to me. I want to go to work and have fun, and that's why I do these things. Chucky really has been phenomenal."

(l-r) Devon Sawa as Logan Wheeler, Zackary Arthur as Jake Wheeler Photo: Steve Wilkie/USA Network

Speaking with The Independent in June of this year, the actor explained how Chucky helped breathe new life into his career. “It does feel like a reboot,” he said. “I haven’t really been doing anything [differently]. I just landed on a show and did what I’d been doing; I was in the right place at the right time. I needed a Chucky to get me into other rooms, like Hacks. And now with Hacks, it’s going to be even easier to get into those other rooms that I couldn’t have gotten into before.”

Mancini serves as an executive producer on the series alongside Nick Antosca, Alex Hedlund, David Kirschner, and Jeff Renfroe. The series is produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group. Jennifer Tilly (Tiffany Valentine), Alex Vincent (Andy Barclay), Fiona Dourif (Nica), Christine Elise (Kyle), Barbara Alyn Woods (Mayor Michelle Cross), and newcomer Lara Jean Chorostecki (her role is still TBD) round out the principal cast for Season 2. 

Season 2 of Chucky premieres on SYFY and USA Network Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 9 p.m. ET (followed soon thereafter by the series premiere of Reginald the Vampire). Season 1 is currently streaming on Peacock and holds a 91 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Earlier this summer, TV Guide included the series on its list of "The 100 Best Shows on TV Right Now," writing: 

"This TV continuation of the horror movie franchise is a sterling example of how to refresh a long-running property for a new format. The smart series from franchise creator Don Mancini stays true to the killer doll movies' dark humor and gory slapstick violence. It also seamlessly integrates queer themes, reclaiming the 'queer-coded villain' trope and turning it on its head in a clever and contemporary way."

Season 2 of Chucky will premiere on Oct. 5, 2022, on SYFY and USA Network at 9 p.m. Eastern.