By MICHAEL GINGOLD
With a new CHILD’S PLAY headed for theaters next summer, featuring a killer doll rechristened from Chucky to “Buddi,” the FX artist responsible for bringing the terror toy to life has now been revealed, along with the first pic.
MGM’s Orion Pictures has announced that Todd Masters and his MastersFX company created Buddi for the CHILD’S PLAY reboot (directed by Lars Klevberg), using a combination of practical on-set puppet work and digital FX enhancements. According to studio PR, the team “took six weeks to prepare and assemble seven practical animatronic puppets, each with interchangeable arms and heads that perform a variety of required actions on set. The FX team, led by ace puppeteer Keith Arbuthnot, along with Mike Fields, Jason Ward and Josh Raymond each controlled a different part of the doll.”
“Reconceiving a well-loved classic always feels like wading into tricky waters,” says Masters, whose credits include TRUE BLOOD, AMERICAN MARY, SINISTER and SLiTHER. “However, Lars’ fresh vision for this film turned what could have been a challenging process into a seamless and beautiful collaboration. MGM and Orion’s CHILD’S PLAY is not a remake or retelling but a completely new style and concept, and we believe that Buddi fits with this vision perfectly.”
“It was important to Lars that we use animatronics as much as possible,” adds David Katzenberg, who produced the movie with Seth Grahame-Smith. “As fans of Todd’s work, we were thrilled when he and his team of exceptional artists and puppeteers agreed to take on the challenge of creating our take on a classic character.”
The new CHILD’S PLAY hits screens June 21, 2019, starring Aubrey Plaza (LIFE AFTER BETH) as Karen, Brian Tyree Henry (WIDOWS) as Mike and Gabriel Bateman (LIGHTS OUT) as Andy.
