Sorry jack, Chucky’s back…again.

I’ve been keeping very close tabs on the next installment in the Child’s Play franchise, which has been in pre-production for over a month under the moniker of Chucky 7. We’ve reported on a lot of the returning players – including writer-director Don Mancini – but nothing has been deemed “official”…until today!

Chucky, for the younger readers, is a serial killer (Charles Lee Ray, played by Brad Dourif) who transferred his soul into the body of a Good Guys Doll back in 1988’s Child’s Play.

The Child’s Play films have miraculously remained canon for nearly 30 years, with sequels including Child’s Play 2, Child’s Play 3, Bride of Chucky, Seed of Chucky, and the 2013 Curse of Chucky.

Next up…CULT OF CHUCKY.

Yes, the seventh Child’s Play, officially titled Cult of Chucky, will begin filming this coming Monday in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada!

Brad Dourif is confirmed to once again provide Chucky’s voice, while his daughter, Fiona, will be reprising her Curse role. Also returning are Summer H. Howell (Curse of Chucky), Jennifer Tilly (who became the popular female doll, Tiffany, in Bride of Chucky before transferred her soul into the body of actress Jennifer Tilly in Seed of Chucky) and Alex Vincent, star of the first two Child’s Play films who returned in a shocking post credits sequence in Curse. The film ended as if Mancini planned to tie the previous three films – Bride of Chucky, Seed of Chucky and Curse of Chucky – together in this seventh film.

Here’s the official synopsis that came attached to the below announcement trailer.

“Confined to an asylum for the criminally insane for the past four years, Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif) is erroneously convinced that she, not Chucky, murdered her entire family. But when her psychiatrist introduces a new therapeutic “tool” to facilitate his patients’ group sessions — an all-too-familiar “Good Guy” doll with an innocently smiling face — a string of grisly deaths begins to plague the asylum, and Nica starts to wonder if maybe she isn’t crazy after all. Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent), Chucky’s now-grown-up nemesis from the original Child’s Play, races to Nica’s aid. But to save her he’ll have to get past Tiffany (Oscar-nominee Jennifer Tilly), Chucky’s long-ago bride, who will do anything, no matter how deadly or depraved, to help her beloved devil doll.”

Cult of Chucky, which takes place in an asylum, will be released in an unrated version on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD this fall, in time for Halloween.

Don Mancini, writer of the Child’s Play franchise, is the executive producer of the new film, which he also directs from his original script. Longtime franchise producer David Kirschner (The Pagemaster, Frailty) is joined this time by Ogden Gavanski (Warm Bodies, Immortals). The production team includes special-effects guru and associate producer Tony Gardner (Zombieland, Curse of Chucky), director of photography Michael Marshall (“Killjoys”), production designer Craig Sandells (Mother’s Day) and costume designer Patricia J. Henderson (ATM).

[Related] Seven Hours of Chucky Burning is the Perfect Holiday Horror Yule Log

The Child’s Play franchise is my personal favorite and one that I find myself revisiting more than any other. I love that it has remained canon, and that Mancini, who created the franchise, is still involved at full capacity.  Even more astounding is that its timeline  syncs up and completely makes sense, as Squires alluded to earlier this week.

As I explained earlier, Curse of Chucky opened the door to bringing all the films together, which makes me sort of want to see this wrap it all up (who am I kidding, give me seven more).

In the end, let’s take a moment to revel in the fact that we’re getting anther Child’s Play sequel and not a remake…

No matter, he’ll be your friend ’til the end.