‘Chucky’ TV Adaptation Scares Up Straight-to-Series Order at Syfy

Joe Otterson

Syfy has given out a straight-to-series order for a show based on the iconic horror character Chucky, the central figure in the “Child’s Play” film franchise. The cabler made the announcement at the Television Critics Association winter press tour on Saturday.

The news comes just under a year after Syfy first announced they had acquired the television rights to the films. The series hails from Don Mancini, who wrote the film franchise on which the series is based. Mancini will also serve as showrunner and executive producer in addition to directing the first episode. David Kirschner and Nick Antosca will also executive produce, with Antosca producing via his Eat the Cat banner. Harley Peyton will also executive produce. Universal Content Productions (UCP) will serve as the studio. Antosca is currently under an overall deal at UCP.

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“The character Don and David created has terrified audiences for over 30 years,” said Chris McCumber, president of Entertainment Networks USA & Syfy for NBCUniversal. “The longevity and legacy of Chucky speaks to the creative storytelling and the loyal fans the film series has collected over the years. We are excited to once again partner with Nick and UCP on this new Syfy series, and are incredibly proud to bring Chucky to television for the first time with the original creators.”

In the series, titled “Chucky,” after a vintage Chucky doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos as a series of horrifying murders begin to expose the town’s hypocrisies and secrets. Meanwhile, the arrival of enemies and allies from Chucky’s past threatens to expose the truth behind the killings, as well as the demon doll’s untold origins as a seemingly ordinary child who somehow became this notorious monster.

Chucky debuted in 1988 in the film “Child’s Play,” directed and co-written by Tom Holland, produced by Kirschner and based on a story by Mancini. The franchise spawned six sequels, all of which Mancini wrote and Kirschner produced. Mancini also directed three of the films. A remake of “Child’s Play” from a completely new creative team was released in 2019.

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