A remake of “Child’s Play,” the 1988 supernatural slasher film that introduced the world to the mass-murdering possessed doll Chucky, is due to arrive in cinemas in June from United Artists and Orion Pictures. It revisits the origins of the multi-movie franchise, from when Chucky is first given to the child that would become his recurring nemesis in several sequels. USA Today reports that the lucky actor who gets to pick up the role of Chucky from Brad Dourif is none other than Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker of “Star Wars” fame
Previous “Child’s Play” Movies have the malevolent Chucky being voiced by Dourif, who also portrays the voodoo-trained serial killer Charles Lee Ray who initially transferred his soul to the doll to escape the law.
For the reboot, the killer doll is getting a new back-story, and Hamill as his new voice to scare and thrill audiences.
From Joker to Chucky
Those who have followed Hamill’s showbiz career (primarily as Luke Skywalker) will know that he is also a well-versed voice actor, equally popular with fans as the voice of Joker from Warner Bros.’ “Batman: The Animated Series,” along with related shows and videogames. Hamill’s capability to do sinister character voices lends quite well to his casting as the iconic evil “Good Guy” killer doll of “Child’s Play.”
In fact, this is not even the first time Hamill has voiced Chucky.
He took up the role in place of Brad Dourif when the killer doll appeared in the Adult Swim stop-motion parody sketch show “Robot Chicken.” His performance there could have snagged him the role in an official capacity, now that he is voicing Chucky for serious business in the “Child’s Play” reboot.
'Child’s Play' reboot updates the setting
Fans of the “Child’s Play” franchise got their first taste of Mark Hamill as Chucky in the sneak peek teaser entitled “Peekaboo,” as reported by The Huffington Post. The preview actually does not show the doll, but Hamill-Chucky’s electronically distorted voice dominates the scene as he taunts his very scared “owner” Andy Barclay, played in this remake by Gabriel Bateman.
The distortion appears to lend credence to released movie info that the Chucky doll, rather than being possessed and animated by a serial killer’s spirit, is instead a “smart” doll with an AI, akin to Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Home speakers that has become self-aware and predisposed to kill.
The cast of the new “Child’s Play” also includes Aubrey Plaza as Andy’s widowed mother Karen, Bryan Tyree Henry as police detective Mike Norris, and Tim Matheson as Henry Kaslan, whose robotics company manufactures the Buddi doll line of which Chucky is part of. The reboot premieres in cinemas on June 21.