Credit: Platinum Dunes / New Line CinemaWho’s playing the new Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) reboot?
After the release of Wes Craven’s original film in 1984, the Elm Street franchise became the head honcho of the slasher genre, churning out sequel after sequel, quickly catching up with those that had started before it, such as Halloween and Friday the 13th.
Now, nearly 40 years later, there are no talks of a revival. While this is music to the ears of many Elm Street fans, it’s a little bizarre, considering that all the other iconic slasher franchises have been given the reboot/sequel treatment in recent years.
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Child’s Play, Scream, Halloween, and Friday the 13th. All of them. But what about A Nightmare on Elm Street? There was a reboot from Platinum Dunes in 2010, which did pretty well at the box office, despite being quite terrible.
The film starred Jackie Earle Haley as the iconic “dream demon” Freddy Krueger, a role horror legend Robert Englund had played in all previous eight films. Haley did the best with what he was given, but Englund’s performance is a tough act to follow. Perhaps impossible.
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While there are no talks of such a project happening, it’s only a matter of time. In a recent interview with Variety, Robert Englund, 76, said his time playing the iconic character is over. So who would make a worthy successor? Here are a few suggestions.
Who could play Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot?
Jackie Earle Haley
Jackie Earle Haley could return as Freddy Krueger. Most fans would agree that the 2010 film is terrible, but Haley, 61, is one of its few saving graces (another is the introduction of “micro-naps,” in which one can fall asleep for a split second while they’re up and about).
Like Englund, Haley gets to belt out some pretty memorable lines in the film. While the Freddy he’s given makes very little sense (for starters, the ambiguity surrounding his innocence is weird and distasteful), The Watchmen (2009) actor gives it 100%.
Kevin Bacon
One actor whose fedora hat has been thrown in the ring many times over the last few years is Hollywood A-lister Kevin Bacon. The trouble with the talented Footloose (1984) star, though, is that he’s just too famous to play such an iconic horror villain.
We can see why he keeps getting fancast, though. While Bacon, 65, is a brilliant actor and takes to any role like a duck to water, his portrayal of invisible psychotic scientist Sebastian Caine in The Hollow Man (2000) alone makes him a great contender.
In a 2017 interview with CinemaBlend, Englund agreed that Bacon would be a good fit for Freddy. Here’s what he said:
“Well the gossip I’ve heard, and I don’t know how valid this is, but there has been some talk about using, or perhaps he’s been approached, Kevin Bacon. Yeah. I think that would be great. He’s in one of my favorite little horror movies, Stir of Echoes, and you should check it out if you haven’t seen it. And I just think Kevin’s the right size. I think he respects horror movies. He doesn’t make fun of them. I think it would be real interesting.”
Creed Bratton
The great thing about fan-casting an actor into a role is that you can have so much fun with it. But our recommendation that Creed Bratton, best known, of course, for playing Creed Bratton in the classic US sitcom The Office (2005 — 2013), is no joke.
While recognizable to fans of the show, Bratton, 80, is otherwise relatively unknown. But what makes him a good contender for Freddy Krueger? If you’ve seen The Office, you’ll know that Creed is edgy, morally ambiguous, and just plain creepy at times. He’s also hilarious and, like Freddy Krueger, is no stranger to memorable one-liners.
Jamie Campbell Bower
Jamie Campbell Bower is best known for playing “dark wizard” Henry Creel/Vecna/One in Stranger Things Season 4, a character who is undoubtedly inspired by A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Freddy Krueger, so much so that Robert Englund was cast as his Henry’s father!
Bower, 34, would make a perfect Freddy Krueger. He’s also the youngest actor on our list, and if the inevitable A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot sparks a bunch of sequels just like the original did, we’ll need someone who can stick around.
Strangely enough, Bower will soon be appearing in a reboot based on another ’80s horror film, which also has very close ties with one of the A Nightmare on Elm Street sequels.
These contenders are good and all, but in a recent interview with Variety, Robert Englund said the next Freddy should be played by an unknown actor, just as he was in 1984. Either way, whoever ends up donning the razor-fingered glove will be met with some resistance.
Not only are many fans precious over roles played by actors who have become synonymous with their on-screen counterparts, the current landscape of fandoms has become very toxic, with many projects and their actors becoming the target of backlash.
The A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot is as inevitable as falling asleep. Unfortunately, so is the online discourse.
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Whether the A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot is a film or a television series, it will follow nine previous films: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985), A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010).
There’s no news on the A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot yet, but recently, Robert Englund told Insider that Get Out (2017) director Jordan Peele should helm the project.
Meanwhile, a fan-made film titled Dylan’s New Nightmare (2023) will be released soon. It follows Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and sees the return of Miko Hughes as Dylan Porter. Robert Englund won’t be playing Freddy Krueger in the film.
Check out the trailer below:
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The Indiegogo page for the upcoming Elm Street sequel lists the synopsis as follows:
Dylan’s New Nightmare acts as an unofficial sequel to Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, one of the most unique and high concept installments to the [A] Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.
This short film picks up 25 years after the events of New Nightmare and follows Dylan Porter (Miko Hughes), the young son of Heather Langenkamp, now a grown man trying to make his way in the world his parents raised him in –Hollywood. Little does he know that the evil entity known as Freddy Krueger is back, and eager to once again break into our world through the son of his favorite victim!
Dylan’s New Nightmare is scheduled for release this summer.
Who do you think should play the new Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!