Robert Englund isn’t returning to play Freddy Krueger again but he has some advice for whoever decides to reboot the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise…
Robert Englund has made it clear that his days playing Freddy Krueger are behind him but he knows that eventually another “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie is going to get made and somebody has to wear his famous red and green sweater and that razor-clawed glove.
While actually getting another “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie doesn’t seem any closer to reality, Englund has addressed casting decisions in the past, especially after the lackluster reception Jackie Earle Haley received for playing Freddy in the abysmal remake that dropped back in 2010.
Englund previously talked about Kevin Bacon potentially stepping into the role because that was apparently a name floating around when a potential “Nightmare on Elm Street” reboot was in the works but he feels like that casting possibility has probably passed already.
“I think, for the sake of the franchise, they need to find someone like a Doug Jones,” Englund told Bloody Disgusting when referencing the veteran actor and stuntman, who famously portrays many characters behind makeup and CGI in films like “The Shape of Water” and “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
“Years ago, I heard they were considering Kevin Bacon for Freddy Krueger. Kevin’s in a couple of my favorite horror movies; ‘Stir of Echoes’ I love, and ‘Tremors obviously.’ I love Kevin as an actor. He’s a true character actor, he just happens to be imprisoned in a leading man’s body, but Kevin is also very physical. I thought that was a great choice, but this was, like, five years ago. I know he’s got all these other projects now and he’s not getting any younger, so he probably wouldn’t be interested.”
If a new “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie gets made and finds success, there’s a good chance sequels would follow, which means the actor playing Freddy Krueger would have to stick around for multiple films. While he’s still as spry as ever, Bacon is 67 so it’s probably a bit of a stretch to cast him and expect that he’ll still want to play Freddy a decade from now.
That said, Englund admitted because his portrayal of Freddy Krueger looms so large over that franchise that might be worthwhile for casting directors to go completely outside the box when it comes to casting that role.
“I was trying to think of someone like that, if he were going to look for a name, like Kevin Bacon. But I think they probably should steer themselves to someone more unknown that doesn’t have to worry about following in my footsteps or anything else, just creating his own conception of the character,” Englund said.
“I think that it would be interesting to maybe redefine Freddy differently than my physicality and my size; a lumbering tall man, perhaps, or someone wiry and shorter than me, and maybe more cat-like or reptilian. It would be interesting. They gotta pick somebody that can go the distance.”
While Englund routinely addresses potential actors replacing him as Freddy in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise, there’s still no word on when a possible film in the series might actually happen.
For now, fans are celebrating the release of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” box set with all of the films in the franchise remastered for 4K. That probably has to do for now until the powers-that-be can come to an agreement on the direction for the franchise moving forward.
