The Reason Nightmare On Elm Street's Robert Englund Isn't Willing To Play Freddy Krueger Again
Freddy Krueger from "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series is one of the most iconic characters in the horror genre. With his signature look of a striped sweater and fedora, along with his penchant for instantly iconic one-liners, Freddy was able to carve a path for himself among other slasher titans like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. Part of the character's appeal comes down to the performance laid out by Robert Englund, who's starred in numerous projects over the years but will forever be remembered for his work in the "Elm Street" franchise.
The last time Englund played Freddy was for 2003's "Freddy vs. Jason." In the 2010 remake, the part was played by Jackie Earle Haley, and while he lived up to the reputation set forth by his predecessor, the movie as a whole was critically panned. It's been over a decade since the last "Elm Street" movie, and in this current era of legacy sequels, there's little doubt fans would love to see Englund suit up as Freddy one last time. However, the actor made it abundantly in the new documentary, "Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story," that his days as the dream monster are done.
As Variety dictates, "I just can't do fight scenes for more than one take anymore, I've got a bad neck and bad back and arthritis in my right wrist. So I have to hang it up, but I would love to cameo." Even if Englund appeared in one scene of a new "Nightmare on Elm Street" movie in a minor role, like a teacher or a kid's parent, fans would eat it up.
Robert Englund thinks Kevin Bacon would make a great Freddy
It's been a tough time to get a new "Nightmare on Elm Street" movie made. Even "Doctor Sleep" helmer Mike Flanagan wants to take a crack at the franchise, but he admitted that rights issues are making that near impossible. However, with Hollywood obsessed with mining intellectual properties for reboots and sequels, it only seems like a matter of time until Freddy makes it back on the big screen. And if that day comes, Robert Englund has a unique pick for who should take over his legacy.
He mentioned how a fan told him that Kevin Bacon would be a good pick for Freddy, and the suggestion blew him away. Englund mentioned, "I think that in the silences and in the way Kevin moves — it would be interesting." Bacon's no stranger to the horror genre, having starred in "Tremors" and the original "Friday the 13th." And while Englund has never written a "Nightmare on Elm Street" film, he has an idea of how one could work in the modern era.
He brought up how technology would have to play a role and explained, "For instance, if one of the girls was an influencer, it would be interesting for Freddy to somehow haunt her subconscious and manifest himself, perhaps exploit everybody that followed her." Regardless of what the future of the franchise holds, Robert Englund has made his mark on the genre, and people can always go back to watch his stellar work in numerous "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies. And for anyone wanting to learn more about the man behind the fedora, "Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story" premieres on Screambox on June 6.