For several years now, horror fans have been wondering if there will be a reboot of the beloved classic '80s film A Nightmare On Elm Street. It seems like the perfect time given the interest in slashers, and with Halloween Ends coming in October 2022 and Scream 6 hitting theaters in March 2023, this would be the next natural franchise to be revived. After a 2010 remake wasn't a hit with critics or audiences, it feels like the right time for more Freddy Krueger.
If a new film does happen, audiences are curious if celebrated actor Robert Englund would return to play his iconic slasher villain Freddy Krueger. This is something that is very intriguing to fans of the genre.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Jason Blum said that he feels that he could convince Robert Englund to play Freddy Krueger in a new film. Blum said, "I could make him come back. I can get anyone back. Ellen Burstyn was 87, and I got her back in The Exorcist."
Recently, Robert Englund starred in Stranger Things season 4, playing the role of Victor Creel, the traumatized man who lost his family to Vecna years before. The actor also voiced the role of himself in the 2022 Netflix film Choose or Die about a deadly video game. Back in 2018, Englund played Freddy Krueger in an episode of the family sitcom The Goldbergs. One of Englund's most regular recent roles was Anti-Pops/Mystery Man/ Stagman in the animated TV series Regular Show, which aired from 2017 until 2021.
Englund told The Hollywood Reporter that his Stranger Things part happened because he loved watching the show and after he didn't land a season 3 role, he hoped that he could win the part of Victor Creel. Englund's wife filmed an audition tape that he then mailed. It was a treat for horror fans to see the beloved actor be part of this thrilling and fast-paced season of the popular Netflix series.
Many horror fans feel that only Robert Englund can play Freddy Krueger, and while there has been some talk of a reboot of A Nightmare On Elm Street, there hasn't been any concrete news in several years. According to Game Spot, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick said in 2015 that a reboot was in the works and said, "Everybody wants to see Freddy again I think, so I think it's inevitable at some point."
Blumhouse has successfully rebooted the Halloween franchise, with 2018's Halloween, 2021's Halloween Kills, and the upcoming Halloween Ends. The company is also working on an untitled The Exorcist sequel which is said to be released in 2023. Blumhouse releases a mixture of new projects and reboots of familiar franchises, having put out The Craft: Legacy in 2020 and a new Firestarter in 2022, along with the 2020 reimagining of the 1970s TV series Fantasy Island.
Source: ScreenRant