Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, a new documentary covering the career of A Nightmare on Elm Street's biggest star, is headed our way on June 6th, and you know what that means: Englund's been out running the press gauntlet, fielding questions about his storied filmography, his life, and the future of the Elm Street franchise.
In a new interview with Variety, Englund reveals that he's got a few ideas about where the series could go from here - but it's worth noting up front that Englund is very adamant about the fact that he won't be slipping into Freddy's razor-fingered glove again any time soon:
“I’m too old and thick to play Freddy now. 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.”
OK, so we've got our Englund cameo locked. But what should the makers of the next Nightmare on Elm Street be considering?
“You’d have to deal with technology and culture. 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.”
This is an interesting idea! It seems all but guaranteed that the next film in the franchise (which, as of this writing, is still but a twinkle in the eye of many slasher fans) will modernize things a bit, and incorporating some sort of social media element would seem to be the quickest way to do that.
But what about our favorite son, Freddy? If Englund ain't coming back, and with no one making eye contact with Jackie Earle Haley's take on the character, who does Englund think might be good for the job? Variety says:
"Englund’s pick for a modern Freddy? He was wowed by a fan who mentioned Kevin Bacon as a replacement.
'I know he respects the genre, and he’s such a fine physical actor. I think that in the silences and in the way Kevin moves — it would be interesting.'"
Huh. Huh! Y'know, we'd never have thought of this ourselves, but Bacon does seem like he'd have the physicality necessary to nail the gig, and he's certainly in shape enough for it. Debates will ensue over this idea as to whether or not Bacon is simply too old for the role, regardless of how spry he may still be, but we're not signing anyone to a contract here. It's fun to think about Kevin Bacon under all that Freddy makeup, and we will continue to do so, if only for conversation's sake.
Head on over to Variety to read the rest of their chat with Englund, which also reveals the actor's thoughts on why the Nightmare on Elm Street remake didn't find its footing alongside a number of Englund's favorite Freddy catchphrases, and do stay tuned for more on the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise as further updates become available.
