Robert Englund Won’t Ever Play Freddy Again

Any fans of the A Nightmare on Elm Street films will know that the horror franchise is one of the most successful series ever created, spawning, films, televisions shows, records and more merchandise than you could shake your wallet at. At the heart of the series is Freddy Krueger, a quick tongued spirit looking revenge on the folks that murder him years before. Up until 2003, with Freddy vs. Jason being the last film to be made in the series,  the dream master has been played by Robert Englund. For years we was all wondering what would happen if Englund hung up his claws and in 2010, that question was answered when a failed reboot swapped Englund for Jackie Earle Haley. The film bombed, and Freddy went back to boil room to cool off, as 10 years later, we still have not seen a cinematic return of Freddy. 

“I would love to be invited back…”

In 2019 Krueger made a cameo appearance in period sitcom The Goldbergs, with Englund once more portraying the character he had first brought to life in 1984. This started a huge internet rumour that England would return for one last Nightmare. To add fuel to the fire, late last year the right to A Nightmare on Elm Street left it’s hallowed home of Newline films and reverted back to Wes Craven’s estate, leaving fans wondering if this shift would energise the series back to life. 

in a recent chat with Entertainment Weekly, England spoke about the future of the series, dropping some news that fans probably won’t want to hear. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever don the makeup again… I’m a little too old for that. I’m a little long in the tooth to play Freddy now. I think if I was doing it, it would be more like Freddy vs. Viagra.”

He did however say that he would be up for returning, but maybe in a smaller role. 

“I know that the rights to A Nightmare on Elm Street have gone back to the Wes Craven family estate… And I know they’ve looked at a lot of different submissions and ideas… I would love to be invited back if they decide to reboot A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: The Dream Warriors. I would love to come back and maybe play the dream analyst…  I think it would be fun for the fans, it would be fun for me to play the part originally played by a woman and do a flip on that.”

So it does seem that Englund is stepping back from the character, with his age being a key component of his decision. He also made clear that he’s certainly not heard about news on a new film. 

“I have no idea whether they’re going to go on and create completely new stories or whether they’re going to go back and do prequels or origin stories on the Freddy Krueger myth. I don’t know what they’re up to. So, I’m just waiting to hear.”

So whilst the film series may well live on, it seems that Robert Englund’s days as Freddy are over! Sad news indeed!