Chucky is returning to movie theaters for the first time in more than two decades. Franchise creator Don Mancini confirmed at Steel City Con in Pennsylvania on April 12 that he is actively writing a new theatrical Chucky film — and will direct it himself.
Jennifer Tilly, who plays Tiffany in the franchise, had already signaled the development, telling Entertainment Tonight: “I know for a fact there is more Chucky and Tiffany in the works. The gruesome twosome.” Mancini’s Steel City Con announcement put firm shape on those hints.
Mancini told the crowd that the new film will return to the darker tone of his 2013 entry Curse of Chucky, which initially positioned itself as a reboot before firmly reconnecting to the franchise’s established continuity. That film, along with 2017’s Cult of Chucky, laid the groundwork for the Syfy television series that ran for three seasons before its cancellation in September 2024.
The plan is for the new movie to connect directly to the events of both the television series and all previous films, keeping intact the single, unbroken timeline Mancini has maintained across decades of the franchise. He was not involved in the 2019 Child’s Play remake, which cast Mark Hamill as the voice of Chucky and remains non-canon to his universe.
Mancini last directed a Chucky film with Cult of Chucky in 2017. The last time a film in his franchise appeared in cinemas was Seed of Chucky in 2004 — meaning this new project would mark a return to the big screen after a 22-year absence.
After the TV series ended, Mancini posted on X: “HE’LL BE BACK,” alongside the announcement, adding: “I have so much love for our amazing fans. Your #RenewChucky campaign meant the world to me during a very difficult time. Chucky says to tell all of you, quoting himself: ‘See ya real soon.'”
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The new film will be the ninth in the overall franchise and the eighth within Mancini’s connected canon. Mancini launched the franchise with the original Child’s Play in 1988, which he co-wrote with John Lafia and director Tom Holland, and has written every subsequent installment in his timeline. No release date or studio attachment has been announced.
