It’s hard to imagine another “A Nightmare on Elm Street” film without Robert Englund, the face of the franchise as the villainous Freddy Krueger. Previously, Jackie Earle Haley tackled the role in the 2010 remake. Recently, the Wes Crave Estate announced that a reboot was in the works, noting that the film would be “set in the world” of the first entry. Englund’s place in the franchise is unclear, especially as the new film will connect to the original storyline rather than be a second remake.
The new “Nightmare” film will be helmed by “Barbarian” producers J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules for Paramount’s new genre label, Paramount Primal. Copyright law attorney and producer Marc Toberoff, who helmed the estate to untangle the legal complications of the franchise, will also produce. No actors are attached yet, but five performers could take on the role of Freddy Krueger.
As for the new film’s storyline, Englund proposes a cool (and logical) entry point.
Robert Englund’s Idea Makes Sense
In promotion of “Pinocchio Unstrung,” Robert Englund suggested the new “A Nightmare on Elm Street” pull a “Halloween” swerve and pick up after the third film, “A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors.” “‘Dream Warriors’ is actually the most successful and most popular film in the franchise,” he told ComingSoon.net in a recent interview.
He added, “I think that might be an interesting way to get into any kind of revival of the franchise.”
For a refresher, the opening of “Dream Warriors” shows Kristen (Patricia Arquette) making a papier-mâché replica of Nancy’s (Heather Langenkamp) and Jesse’s (Mark Patton) house from the first and second films. It’s an eerie moment that cements Freddy’s presence and the impending doom about to rip through Kristen’s life.
After frequent night terrors, her mother Elaine (Brooke Bundy) commits her to a psych ward to get better. “Dream Warriors” follows her treatment among a group of other nightmare sufferers, which includes Joey (Rodney Eastman) and Kincaid (Ken Sagoes). The film features some of the most creative kills of the franchise, from the TV set to the puppetry sequence. When Nancy, now a therapist intern, brings out the trouble teens’ dream-state powers, they prove to be worthy foils to Freddy’s reign of terror.
If the new Freddy film were to pick up from “Dream Warriors,” bringing back Kristen, Joey and Kincaid, the only survivors, is a no-brainer. Whether Sagoes, Eastman and most importantly Arquette would be willing to return is a whole other conversation. But wouldn’t that be fun?
Robert Englund is Game to Play Freddy Krueger Again
Later, in the ComingSoon.net interview, Englund mentioned that he’d be up for playing Freddy again—in an animated film. “That would be fun. That’s easy for me,” he said. “I’m an old dog now. I can start and end stunts, but I can’t do them and repeat them anymore. I can’t snap my head from every different angle.”
In 2013, Englud starred in an episode of “The Goldbergs” called “Mister Knifey-Hands.” He wore the full Freddy get-up, make-up and all. While it was a fun appearance, it did not require the actor to perform any stunts. Right now, the episode serves as Englund’s final on-screen performance as horror’s funniest icon.
