‘Child’s Play’ Creator Don Mancini Is Ready to Take ‘Chucky’ Back to Theaters

These days, It’s Child’s Play creator Don Mancini’s world, we’re just living in it. While Halloween’s veteran Boogyman takes care of the big screen in October, the killer doll will be back on television with the second season of Chucky on Syfy.

The breakout series stars Zackary Arthur, Bjorgvin Arnarson, Alyvia Alyn Lind, and of course, franchise staples Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly as Chucky and Tiffany, respectively. However, in recent years, Mancini has come from behind the curtain to the forefront as a star himself. After taking the helm for television, following the unsuccessful film reboot in 2019, he’s been associated with bringing the horror icon back to the mainstream with a fresh format and new direction for the franchise while still respecting what came before.

But in our interview below, it seems Mancini would love for Chucky to get the big screen treatment once again while still respecting the lore of the previous films, as well as the television series.

Do you have a favorite title card this season, and what is it?

Don Mancini:  I do. But it’s later in the season. So I can’t talk about spoilers. But yes, I do. I love them. I mean, I love, I think you know, the company who does those titles. It’s a company called Huge out of London. And I love it. We have such a good time working on it. So I would say at the moment, without saying specifics, I would say I think my favorite so far is Episode 4. But that’s selfish of me because that’s the one I directed.

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Chucky’s actions were used as an allegory for repressed desires in Season 1, will that be explored in more depth in Season 2, or will Chucky’s rampage represent a whole new theme?

I think it represents a bit of what you said inevitably because I think a lot of times, you know, the way Chucky operates, whether he’s doing it consciously, deliberately, or not, his actions [are] often an expression of all of our good characters, it is the things that they maybe would like to do. And I think that applies to us watching the show as well. I mean, a lot of these characters we set up to be sort of universal authority figures or whatever, that it’s just we enjoy seeing Chucky cut them down. 

But we do have a bit of a new theme this year as well. I mean, it goes part and parcel with the new setting of the Catholic school. And I think Chucky’s actions, particularly for Jake, begin to become a metaphorical expression of the guilt that Jake feels, rightly or wrongly, about having been responsible to some degree for bringing this monster into all their lives.

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Season 1 had a lot of creative setpiece kills, is S2 going to up to ante, and do any from the new season stand out for you?

Yes, people can expect more of those sorts of things because I think they’re, they are our franchise’s life’s blood, literally and figuratively. And yes, I do have a couple of favorites. But beyond that, I can’t tell you, we can talk after it all airs, and I’ll tell you what they are. But I would imagine they’ll overlap a little bit.

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Were you expecting Season 1 to be such a hit? I was so happy for you and the team’s success as it was all happening.

Thank you so much. Yeah, we’re we are also delighted by it and very grateful, you know, we’re just like, super grateful, because we love doing it. And it’s wonderful that people are responding positively to it because you work just as hard on the ones that, you know, don’t. So then that can be like, “Ah, [that’s] disappointing, [that’s] like, oh, a couple of years in my life!” It’s just kind of nice to know that we’re not wasting our lives.

The Child’s Play legacy has been fortified for a new generation thanks to Chucky. How are you hoping to see the story develop as the year’s progress?

Well, I hope to be able to continue to do the TV show for as long as people want to see it because I really love the format. And I think it’s really reinvigorated the franchise and brought up a lot of new energy and life and blood and fresh meat! So I would like to do that. 

But at the same time, I would also like to do more movies, because I love movies, too. And I think, you know, I think they’re not mutually exclusive. I think they can exist, you know, just as Marvel characters can potentially exist in both media. So that’s my hope. But it’s ultimately down to the fans and what they want to see, but so far, so good. And like feel what I’ve heard just in advance of people who have seen the first few episodes like yourselves, it seems like people are enjoying it. So if you’re enjoying it, tell people.

Chucky, Season 2 Premiere, Wednesday, October 5, 9/8 c, USA Network and Syfy