Few actors are as synonymous with a single horror franchise as Robert Englund.
This is, after all, the man who portrayed Freddy Krueger eight consecutive times – only Doug Bradley (Pinhead) and Tobin Bell (Jigsaw) have achieved the same red-hot horror streak – so it should come as no surprise that any mooted development of a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie is closely linked with Englund’s name.
Truth be told, the actor hasn’t portrayed Freddy on the big screen since as far back as 2003, when the psychotic burn victim squared off against Jason Voorhees, another murderous beacon of the horror genre. But it seems Englund is inching closer and closer to a comeback – even if it winds up being his last hurrah as Elm Street’s walking abomination.
Below, the actor tells Monster Mania that it’ll soon be time to pass over the torch to another big-name star:
We need a Freddy that can do the next eight movies – or seven, I don’t want them to remake Part 1 again. I’m not Freddy anymore, you guys. I could do one more…probably. If you shot me up with vitamin c. But here’s the thing. I can’t do eight more, you guys. So we need a new actor that you guys believe in and trust and love that can go the distance.
Though his cinematic reign came screeching to a halt in 2003, Robert Englund has certainly kept the character of Freddy alive and well, even guest-starring in an episode of The Goldbergs as the twisted, demonic serial killer. Whether we’ll see him reprise that famous role again is still up for debate, but if nothing else, horror fans will take solace in the fact that Englund is game for another crack of the whip.
But what say you? Do you foresee a future for Robert Englund in A Nightmare on Elm Street? Or would you rather the Powers That Be take heed of Englund’s advice and cast another actor – like, say, Kevin Bacon – as Freddy? You can let us know your thoughts and predictions in the usual place.
