Curse of Chucky Was Don Mancini’s Way of ‘Testing the Waters’ for Andy’s Journey in Hit TV Show

There's a simple reason why the Child's Play franchise has been able to stick around for so long: It adapts with the times, warmly embracing new cultural trends rather than rejecting them.

When the franchise made its feature-length return in 2013 after a decade-long absence with Curse of Chucky, writer/director Don Mancini wisely adopted the growing popularity of the post-credits scene made famous by the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He rewarded loyal fans with the surprise return of Alex Vincent's Andy Barclay, the original victim of Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif). Andy would, of course, return for Cult of Chucky (2017) and the hit television series on SYFY on USA Network (now coming up on its third season).

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How Curse of Chucky Led to Andy's Arc on Chucky

According to Mancini, the idea of Vincent's Curse cameo was a way of "testing the waters" — a proof of concept, if you will — to hopefully dive deeper into the character's damaged psyche. The opportunity to explore the unimaginable psychological scarring inflicted upon an emotionally-stunted Andy was too rich a pool to ignore.

"The studio was not sure about that," Mancini confesses in the latest issue of Empire (now on sale). "But it was fun to do that, so we gave him a bigger role in Cult, and once we were able to take our first steps into television, it provided another opportunity I to delve into what's been going on with Andy over the years and to look at his PTSD. I like to switch things up every time, to not repeat ourselves. It probably says as much about me and my personality. I have a short attention span."

In the Chucky TV show — upon which Mancini serves as creator, showrunner, and executive producer — Andy teams up with Kyle (Christine Elise), his foster sibling last seen in Child's Play 2, to hunt down and destroy any remaining Chucky dolls.

"It’s fun to go back to this character. It’s fun to spend time with these people that I love," Vincent said in 2021 during an interview with PopHorror. "It’s fun to give back to a fanbase that’s been so incredibly kind, generous, and supportive of me for as long as I can remember. I mean literally, as long as I can remember. All of my memories. I was thrilled to know it was going forward."

The first two seasons of Chucky — both of which hold a collective 91 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes — are now streaming on Peacock.