WIRE Buzz: Liam Neeson is done with superheroes and Star Wars, Candyman drops first teaser, more

Liam Neeson is an actor with a diverse filmography that includes period dramas, romantic comedies, and, in recent years, lots and lots of action movies. Neeson has spent much of the 21st century making films that cast him as a dangerous man willing to dive off the deep end to survive or to save someone he loves, and that means he's no stranger to fight scenes and stunts. Even with his action pedigree in mind, though, Neeson now says he's done making superhero films, and we shouldn't expect to see him return to Star Wars either. 

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight while promoting his new film Ordinary Love, Neeson was asked, in light of his participation in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, if he'd ever want to return to a superhero franchise. The response was a direct one:

"I'll be honest with you, no. It's not. I'm really not a huge fan of the genre," Neeson said. "I think it's Hollywood with all the bells and whistles and the technical achievements and stuff — which I admire — but I have no desire to go into the gym for three hours every day to pump myself up to squeeze into a Velcro suit with a cape."

Neeson's participation in major science fiction franchise in which he gets to duel with swords also includes his legendary performance as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, and while the character remains a popular one, Neeson also doesn't seem too interested in playing Qui-Gon in live-action ever again. 

"I admire the actors and I know some of the actors who do it — and do it fantastically. It's just not my genre, it really isn't. The first Star Wars, I was in that, that was 22 years ago, and I enjoyed that, because it was novel and that was new," he said. "I was acting to tennis balls, which were ultimately going to be little fuzzy furry creatures and stuff. That was interesting, acting-wise, to try and make that seem real, but that was the last. It's quite exhausting."

At 67, Neeson is still happy to throw himself into action-movie roles — he noted he's actually in the middle of shooting one at the moment — but don't expect him to launch another superhero franchise role anytime soon.

Candyman, director Nia DaCosta's upcoming spiritual sequel to the 1992 slasher classic, is hitting theaters in less than four months, but until this week the film's hype machine was driven only by its name and the list of people involved. In addition to DaCosta in the director's chair, Oscar winner Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) is behind the camera as both a writer and producer, and the talent in front of the camera includes rising star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman, Watchmen) and the great Tony Todd reprising his role as the hook-handed, bee-infested urban legend himself. 

So far, that roster of talent and the promise of a film that builds on the original legend of the character in the same Chicago neighborhood where it all began has been enough to get horror fans excited. Candyman has all the trappings of the kind of franchise kickstarter we've come to love thanks to recent films like Halloween. Now, at last, we finally know when we'll see a trailer. 

The official Twitter account for the film activated Tuesday morning with a promise that tweeting #Candyman five times will make the film "haunt your feed." To emphasize this, the tweet also included a short teaser video featuring various characters from the film daring to say the name for themselves. 

The first trailer for Candyman will arrive Thursday, so check back here for SYFY WIRE's full coverage of that. Candyman hits theaters June 12. Check out the first teaser poster for the film, featuring some familiar imagery, below. 

Photo: Universal Pictures

Any time Nicolas Cage wants to enter a strange world or horror, from the acid-drenched violence of Mandy to the Lovecraftian nightmare of Color Out of Space, we are game. Cage's next trip into the world of the horrific is the upcoming film Wally's Wonderland, and the first look from the film recently surfaced while it seeks international distributors at Berlin's European Film Market. 

Wally's Wonderland stars Cage as The Janitor, who finds himself trapped inside an old family fun facility with a teenage girl named Liv (Emily Tosta). The horror arrives in the form of the old animatronic characters inside the place, who happen to be possessed by dark forces. With no way out, Liv and The Janitor have to do whatever they can to survive the night. 

Kevin Lewis (The Drop) is directing Wally's Wonderland from a script by G.O. Parsons, who shared the first look at Cage's character on his Instagram account. 

According to ScreenDaily, Wally's Wonderland is already making sales in various foreign markets, but does not yet have a U.S. release date.