As Friday the 13th fans are well aware, franchise rights issues in Hollywood are an INSANELY complicated matter, so much so that it can be hard to ever really understand what’s what. Take the Child’s Play franchise, for example. While Don Mancini and Universal continue the original franchise, MGM and Orion are remaking the original classic, which MGM distributed.
(To make a long story short, the original Child’s Play was made at MGM and then the franchise was subsequently taken to Universal, but MGM still retains rights to that original film.)
In any event, one thing we’ve been wondering about Lars Klevberg’s upcoming remake is if the film can/will be using the name “Chucky” for its killer doll, which appears to look very much the same as Don Mancini’s creation but has not yet been referred to as “Chucky” in the marketing materials. As revealed this week, the “Good Guys” brand has been replaced by the high-tech new product name “Buddi,” which has led many fans to speculate that the remake’s killer doll will actually be named, well, “Buddi.” The good news? No, his name isn’t Buddi.
We’ve confirmed today that the killer doll in next year’s Child’s Play remake is indeed named Chucky, even if it’s not infused with the soul of a serial killer named Charles Lee Ray.
(And no, Brad Dourif is not voicing this iteration of Chucky.)
How does the new doll get the name? I guess we’ll find out on June 21, 2019.
