WIRE Buzz: Tony Todd returns to Candyman; Jessica Brown Findlay heads to Brave New World

Jordan Peele's upcoming spiritual sequel to Candyman is one of the most exciting horror projects in development right now. Apart from Peele's own Oscar-winning horror mind, it's got Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) in the director's chair and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman) in the lead role. One thing it didn't seem to have, though, was an appearance from Tony Todd, who brought the title monster to life back in 1992 and became an icon. 

Todd has publicly said that he was hurt by the production's apparent decision not to include him in the new film, in a cameo appearance or otherwise, but offered his blessing for a new film that would take his "immortal" character in a new direction. Well, apparently Jordan Peele took notice, because the two have recently connected, and now Todd is headed back to Candyman. 

"Out of the blue I get a phone call from Jordan Peele," Todd said during an interview with Sofa King Cool Magazine at Nickel City Con in Buffalo earlier this month. "Yes, Jordan, you called me! And we’re still waiting for the contract, but the way he explained it to me was that it’s gonna be applause-worthy moments. That’s his words. You know, and it's flattering. No matter what happens with that, it’s gonna just put renewed attention on the original."

So, while we still have no idea what role Todd will play in the film, or how much he'll show up, we should apparently get ready to applaud. 

Candyman returns June 12, 2020. 

A key piece of the casting puzzle has fallen into place for USA Network's upcoming adaptation of Brave New World. SYFY WIRE has confirmed that Jessica Brown Findlay, best known for her role as Lady Sybil Crawley in Downton Abbey, has joined the cast of the sci-fi epic based on Aldous Huxley's classic novel. 

Brown Findlay will play Lenina Crowne, a hatchery worker in the utopian society of New London who has begun to question her place in the rigid social order imposed on every aspect of daily life, per Deadline. In Brave New World, Huxley imagines a society that's achieved a seemingly perfect sense of balance and peace through the sacrifice of traditional ideas about monogamy, family structure, privacy, history, and more.

Everything changes when Lenina and fellow New London citizen Bernard Marx (Game of Thrones' Harry Lloyd) take a trip to the Savage Lands to see how the rest of the world lives. There, they become embroiled in a rebellion, and are rescued by John the Savage (Solo: a Star Wars Story's Alden Ehrenreich) who returns to New London with them and threatens to disrupt the rigid structure of the society with his very presence. 

The series is being adapted for television by David Wiener, with Grant Morrison and Brian Taylor.

The second season of Disney XD's Marvel's Spider-Man hasn't even wrapped up yet, but the network is already announcing epic plans for what's next. Disney XD revealed in a press release Thursday that Season 3 of Spider-Man is on the way in spring 2020, and will feature Peter Parker facing off against one of his deadliest and most popular foes: Venom. 

Titled Marvel's Spider-Man: Maximum Venom, the new season will push Spidey to his "breaking point" as "Venom summons an earth-shattering threat from its home planet."

"This is the most epic conflict in the history of Marvel Animation," Cort Lane, senior vice president of Marvel Animation & Family Entertainment, said in a statement. "We planted the seeds in two seasons of Marvel's Spider-Man and three seasons of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, but you don't need to have watched them to be blown away by this colossal confrontation. While a ton of guest heroes will be on hand, Peter Parker's special link to Venom makes him the only hero who can tip the scales to save humanity."

Marvel's Spider-Man returns with the second part of Season 2 this September on Disney XD.