ROTTEN TOMATOES: Robert Englund Evicted from Elm Street?

Robert Englund Evicted from Elm Street?

"Industry sources" say the studios are looking for a new face under Freddy's fedora.

by Jeff Giles | February 05, 2008

That Nightmare on Elm Street reboot is still on -- but it sounds like it might be time for Robert Englund to finally pack away his ratty old sweater and razor-tipped glove for good.

According to a report from ShockTillYouDrop, "a number of industry sources" have informed the site that none of the early discussions regarding the new Nightmare, which is being produced by New Line in conjunction with Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes imprint, include plans for Englund to reprise the role that made him famous. From the article:

The franchise facelift includes discovering a new actor to polish up the finger knives and play the iconographic dream role Englund has practically made his second skin since '84.

Bad news for Englund? Perhaps, but it's hard to imagine him slapping on the burn makeup again for anything but the money, and he's hopefully got enough Nightmare residuals to keep him from taking paycheck roles. Either way, it seems the decision has been made, which means there's only one thing left to do: Speculate as to who might make a good "new" Freddy Krueger. Ready, set, go!

Source: ShockTillYouDrop

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(1-20 of 64 posts) | Reply

ffamilyguy writes:
on Feb 05 2008 05:28 AM

GOOD! Maybe he can do a cameo. He started out as a scary mysterious Freddy, and as each sequel came out, he turned into a joker. But still, the movie is going to suck. Really, there is no reason to do a remake on this one. The 85 version is still so good. It definitley was waaaay ahead of its time. Man, I have the perfect story for a remake though, and a twist at the end that no one would see coming. If only I could see the producers and pitch my idea, I guarantee they would use it.

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Gimy writes:
on Feb 05 2008 05:31 AM

thank you...thank you very much. its not like i called this awhile back. again, REDO...REMAKE people. not sequel. thats the words they used, so it was obvious Englund wouldn't be back. common sense now...please? now, ensue a bunch of "this is going to suck without Englund, he IS freddy" bs and whine whine whine...

nobody really comes to mind. the only person i thought of was Judge Judy but...i don't even know if she can act. she is scary as h3ll though. andy serkis? he does great stuff with CGI characters...why not give him a chance to do something in horror? i'll also throw out a long long long shot...Johnny Depp. eh, the guy is a freakishly good actor, and he was in the series. but i doubt they'll get that high profile. would be entertaining though...

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DarthRage writes:
on Feb 05 2008 05:38 AM

Andy Serkis? Interesting. I bet he could pull it off quite nicely.

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OperaGhost21 writes:
on Feb 05 2008 05:40 AM

Probably won't bother seeing this one, just like I still haven't seen the Rob Zombie Halloween remake. But, if I were to speculate as to who might make a good Freddy, I'd have to go with William Fichtner.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001209/

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Gimy writes:
on Feb 05 2008 06:10 AM

opera...i don't see it. i haven't seen him in many flicks but, i don't see him as Freddy. but i'm not casting so, who knows. i hope they choose somebody out of the box, and can light a fire under the franchise though not just somebody to fill a role just to shoot it

ok, i'm thinkin' old school cuz i haven't seen him in anything in ages but...Crispin Glover.

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bobtom writes:
on Feb 05 2008 06:17 AM

what about that skinny guy from road trip/ the new guy/ hustle n flow?

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Spiderbash writes:
on Feb 05 2008 06:20 AM

Well I did not see this coming but I guess it makes sense. So I will still see it now.

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xthrillhousex writes:
on Feb 05 2008 06:23 AM

Guys, you're missing the most obvious person, which is Ryan Stiles from the Drew Carey Show and Who's Line is it Anyway. That guy looks freakishly like robert englund.

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Elixor writes:
on Feb 05 2008 06:52 AM

As long as the new Freddy is portrayed horrifically and not nearly as a comedic character, I'm fine with the retirement of the Englund Freddy.

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onepiece226 writes:
on Feb 05 2008 06:57 AM

OMG!!!! Are you guys seriously going to agree with this? Like, idk, the remakes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween were fine, and it didn't matter who played Leatherface or Micheal, because they're behind masks the entire time. But cmon, remaking Elm Street is one thing, but replacing the man who single handedly scared kids, and made the movies a hit? that's not good at all. Not one person could be as a good Freddy! ino I said the same thing about Heath Ledger being the Joker, but I was wrong about that! But Jack Nichilson hasen't been playing the Joker since then, only once. Robert Englund has played Freddy, ever since the begining

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rsav1976 writes:
on Feb 05 2008 08:11 AM

It isn't going to matter who plays Freddy because this movie will be terrible. No one will ever replace Englund and no one will make a better version than the original. It had everything, and it was able to scare people and create a frightening dream world that had never (and has never) been equaled. This movie will be forgotten just as soon as it is released. No one can ever take the original away from me (just like the original Hellraiser which is also being remade), so in a way I don't care about this, and most likely neither will the public.

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John Z. Delorean writes:
on Feb 05 2008 08:37 AM

This is one remake that can't be pulled off because the original is actually very good and Englund is Freddy to us all. They should leave this one alone there's plenty of other horror flicks that can be touched on.

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rainfall writes:
on Feb 05 2008 08:46 AM

We need uncle fred. Having anyone eles play him is like eating apple pie for ten years and then u buy the same spple pie and have it be pecan it just wont work.

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Thundercrotch writes:
on Feb 05 2008 09:21 AM

I have just one name and one name only.....

Jeff Conoway........

Think how scary that guy is in REAL life....now put him in makeup with a razor-tipped glove and Whammo!

Pure, box office GOLD!

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msegreto writes:
on Feb 05 2008 09:38 AM

I am a child of the 80's and grew up on Horror so when I hear about this remakes Im actually excited, only thing that makes me angry is when they are made and writers and directors actually feel like they have pulled something off and made audiences happy. F**K THAT S**T.

FFamilyguy got it right, after DreamMaster (4) each seuqel was turning the franchise from horror to comedy. I can't stand that ****. Nightmare 1-4, Halloween 1&2, and every Friday 13th movie up until Jason Takes Manhattan terrifed me. Nowadays all we get is crap like Halloween Resurrection and Jeepers ****ing Creepers. I miss the old days when scary movies were actually scary. I dont need blockbuster names, in fact I think it works better without the big names.

I dont think Englund was the problem for the bad sequels, it was the writing. But if they decide to pull him out for whatever reason I really think... WILLIAM DEFOE would f**KING OWN!!!

Also these actors could pull it off:
*Christian Bale: amazing in American Psycho
*Tim Curry
*John Malkovich

Horror movies worth noting made in the past 10 years that seemed to actually care about horror fans:
Zodiac
30 Days of night: I dont care what everyone says, I loved it
Dawn of the Dead remake: Could have done without Mikei Pheiffer
American Psycho: Borderline Horror I know but still awesome
High Tension
28 Days Later
Underworld: More of an action movie and too bad they killed the series with the sequel
Halloween H20: I thought they did an excellent job and could have stuck with Josh Hartnett for at least another movie if they didn't have that ending, but still if the franchise was done that ending ruled...too bad Resurection took that away dammit!

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sarlaccpit_48 writes:
on Feb 05 2008 09:45 AM

Or maybe Robert will make a cameo a a bus driver
or one of the men who raped Freddy's mother at the psyciatric hospital
or another of the million cameos he made in the original series.

Anyway it won't be the same.
Killers like Jason and Michael are knowns for their masks
while Freddy has a face
and the same person has provided this face for almost three decades.

I hate remakes.

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MarkusCominToGETCHA writes:
on Feb 05 2008 10:16 AM

call me crazy but i think the new Iron Man (Rob Downey Jr) could pull of a pretty sick Freddy

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msegreto writes:
on Feb 05 2008 10:37 AM

In reply to this comment (#1555066)
yeah I was gonna say Robert Downey Jr. also. He's probally one of the best actors of at least my generation

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kissman24 writes:
on Feb 05 2008 10:39 AM

Englund IS Freddy. I suspected that those Hollywood whores would try this and I'm not buying. I'm a huge fan of the series, but I won't support a new Nightmare without Englund.

When you see that something like "Meet The Spartans" ends up making $18 million and is the #1 movie, it just shows how dumb the movie-going public is and they will pay to see anything. Unfortunately, enough people would see this film without Englund and will only justify the horrible decision made by New Line.

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ThinPhantom writes:
on Feb 05 2008 10:44 AM

Bill Maher should play Freddy. :)
http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0005175/

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