Mark Hamill Voiced Chucky Before the 2019 ‘Child’s Play’ Remake
Mark Hamill has famously voiced the Joker in various animated series, movies, and video games for decades. But Hamill’s voice acting career runs much deeper. So fans were curious to hear he was cast as Chucky in the 2019 remake of Child’s Play. However, the movie wasn’t the first time he had voiced the killer doll, a fact even Hamill forgot at the time.
Mark Hamill voiced Chucky in the 2019 ‘Child’s Play’ remake
Brad Dourif played serial killer Charles Lee Ray aka Chucky in 1988’s Child’s Play. And the actor returned as the character in six sequel movies over the following three decades. But when the Child’s Play remake was announced, it quickly became clear Dourif wouldn’t be back. After all, the new movie wouldn’t have a chance to stand on its own unless Chucky had a new voice.
Given Hamill’s wildly diverse voice acting experience, even fans skeptical of the new movie were excited about the casting. In truth, the 2019 Chucky presents a very different, more modern take on the original movie’s premise. The Child’s Play remake revolves around smart technology. And as such, it follows Chucky into a much different place than Dourif’s version.
But the ‘Star Wars’ actor had played the horror icon before that film
Hamill has so much experience as a voice actor, in fact, that he didn’t even remember that he played Chucky once before. Albeit briefly, Hamill voiced Chucky during a segment on the stop-motion animated sketch comedy series Robot Chicken — available on YouTube — in the early 2000s.
In less than 90 seconds, Hamill’s Chucky — on the run from the law — hides in a lettuce patch populated by living dolls. A riff on the popular Cabbage Patch Kids toys, they rise up and attack Chucky, taking his soul.
The dolls then lead a revolution, attacking kids everywhere. Only then is it revealed by Sarah Michelle Gellar (voicing herself) that this would have been the start of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8.
Soon before the new Child’s Play hit theaters, the clip went viral. And Hamill himself posted on Twitter about the sketch. It’s a testament to how busy he’s been that the actor forgot he’d played Chucky already before signing on for the remake. After all, Hamill’s 2010s were taken up mostly by the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Is original voice actor Brad Dourif done playing Chucky?
The Child’s Play remake was a box office success. And a sequel has already been announced, with Hamill reportedly returning. However, this doesn’t mean Dourif has ended his run in the role. Rather, he and Don Mancini — who wrote all seven entries in the original movie series — have a Chucky TV show on the way.
The new series will acknowledge the previous movies as canon and pick up the story from 2017’s Cult of Chucky. However, development was stalled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Nevertheless, Chucky is expected to debut on Syfy in 2021, with previous stars Jennifer Tilly and Fiona Dourif reprising their roles.
