‘Chucky’ Star Teases Franchise Return 2 Years After Shock Cancellation [Exclusive]

In September 2024, the hearts of horror fans everywhere broke when it was announced that USA Network and Syfy wouldn’t be renewing Chucky for a well-deserved fourth season. After seven in-universe films, the Child’s Play franchise first took over the small screen in 2021, quickly becoming a fan favorite and proving that the killer doll’s staying power crossed media types. Despite earning some of the highest Rotten Tomatoes scores of the entire franchise, the series was tragically canned following Chucky’s Season 3 White House takeover, leaving audiences on a cliffhanger. Still, as fans already know, the pint-sized murderer always comes back, and hope is still alive for more Chucky.

The potential continuation was previously teased by franchise star Jennifer Tilly, who recently teased that something was already in the works. Now, yet another Child’s Play favorite is weighing in with a cryptic message about the horror icon’s return. During a conversation with Perri Nemiroff for the latest installment of Collider’s Ladies Night, long-running franchise star Fiona Dourif opened up about the future of Chucky and praised the longevity of her character, Nica. “Let me be involved in the Child’s Play franchise for the rest of my long life,” Dourif manifested. “I have so much fun shooting that.” After Nemiroff pointed out that the doll’s tagline is that he always comes back, The Pitt actress teased: “And you know what? I know it also. Dot, dot, dot!” While nothing has been officially announced by universe creator Don Mancini, with two of his stars giving positive responses when asked about the future, it’s looking pretty good for Child’s Play fans.

For those who may not be in the know, Dourif is the real-life daughter of Brad Dourif, who has been voicing Chucky since the movie series’ 1988 debut. After growing up around the horror story, she officially joined the family in an on-screen capacity with 2013’s Curse of Chucky. Breaking down her character, Dourif told Nemiroff:

“I think the cool thing about Nica is that she has had everything in the world taken away from her… For people who don’t know, Nica was the lead of two of the movies, and then a reoccurring in the television show, and she’s in a wheelchair. Chucky made her paraplegic when she was in her mother’s womb, and then he killed her whole family. He put her in jail. She was in a psychiatric ward. She’s been possessed by Chucky. She was kidnapped by Jennifer Tilly. I mean, nothing good has ever happened to her, but she’s not a victim. She’s very cool. She’s like a sexualized, smart, gritty, final girl.”

Fiona Dourif on Working With Everyone’s Favorite “Friend Of,” Jennifer Tilly

Chucky might be everyone’s friend til the end, but Tilly has been a “friend of” on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills since Season 14. In the time since, the professional poker player and Academy Award-nominated actress has stolen the hearts of fans with her larger-than-life personality and taste for the finer things in life. According to Dourif, she’s exactly the same on camera as she is off: “And it’s real on and off camera. And, you know, she was kind of raised poor and is now this multimillionaire. She’s incredibly generous, which is how I would love to be.”

The love story between Tilly’s Tiffany Valentine and Dourif’s Chucky is one of the most legendary in the genre, since they first stepped out hand in hand in 1998’s Bride of Chucky. Fast-forward to the series, and Dourif’s Nica found herself possessed by the spirit of Chucky — which led her to carry on a romantic relationship with Tilly’s character. Looking back on those steamy scenes, the True Blood alum said:

“And I’ve made out with her 100 million times. [Laughs] I can’t tell you how many times I’ve kissed Jennifer Tilly — as my dad, too. The whole thing is very weird.”

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates about Child’s Play’s next step. You can watch Dourif’s full episode of Ladies Night above and catch her in new episodes of The Pitt every Thursday on HBO Max.