With the news breaking that a new A Nightmare on Elm Street is in development under Paramount Pictures’ genre label, Paramount Primal, horror fans had a big reason to celebrate. The popular horror franchise hasn’t been on the big screen since the 2010 remake, and for many, that final impression left a bad taste in more than a few mouths. The IP has been dormant ever since due to rights issues, but those were resolved when the rights to Wes Craven’s original screenplay were returned to the Craven estate, leaving them free to explore options for bringing Freddy Krueger back into our nightmares.
With one hard obstacle out of the way, another will be the daunting task of replacing Robert Englund as one of the genre’s most popular horror villains. Englund has expressed that he’s too long in the tooth to portray Freddy again, so that means someone new would have to don the signature hot, sweater, and finger knives. It’s still early in the game, but that doesn’t mean the speculation can’t begin. So, without further ado, here are five actors who could become the next Freddy Krueger.
Honorable Mention: Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey’s name was thrown into the mix when director Chuck Russell, who directed A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and 1994’s The Mask, which starred Carrey, was on Dread Central’s podcast Development Hell, and it was suggested by Josh Korngut that the iconic comedic actor would be a solid choice to portray Freddy Krueger. Russell thought Carrey was an inspired choice that could work, and there are reasons why it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. Carrey is a gifted actor in many regards, but it’s his physicality as a comedian that would be perfectly suited for Freddy, as well as his ability to shift effortlessly from comedic to serious roles.
Freddy has a dark sense of humor that Carrey would have no problem mastering, and he’s also no stranger to portraying creepy characters, something he does exceptionally well in 1996’s The Cable Guy. However, the main issue with Carrey in the role, even though he only acts nowadays in Sonic the Hedgehog movies or when Ron Howard and The Grinch come calling, is that he still might be a name that is too big for the part, and he could potentially overshadow it.
5. Bill Skarsgård
The Swedish-born actor has the acting chops to portray Freddy Krueger, and he’s no stranger to the horror genre or taking on horror villains. Whether he’s the guy in an Airbnb that you may or may not be able to trust in Barbarian, or downright the stuff of nightmares as Pennywise in the It franchise or Count Orlok in Nosferatu, Skarsgård is a chameleon of an actor who has no issue taking on Freddy’s nightmare-fueled murderous nature. The great thing about Skarsgård is that he’s so transformative that he would be able to emote through the make-up effects partly used to bring Freddy to life in a similar way that Robert Englund was able to do so effortlessly over the years.
Skarsgård has the physical presence and facial expressiveness that would be perfect for the role, but the potential pushback would be his previous horror genre work. Having taken on Pennywise the Clown and Count Orlok might make some horror fans believe he’s already had enough horror icons under his belt, and it might be time for someone new to have a shot. Those characters could loom heavily over Skarsgård being cast as Freddy, and that is something to consider.
4. David Howard Thornton
David Howard Thornton is already the man behind Art the Clown in the Terrifier franchise, so he would have no problem getting lost in Freddy’s signature aesthetic in a Nightmare movie. Should they want to play up more of Freddy’s dark humor alongside his nightmarish cruelty, Thornton could step into that easily thanks to the comedic chops he brings to Art the Clown, which mixes a level of sadism that has made him a genre favorite. One of the issues that could derail Thornton’s casting is similar to Skarsgård’s. Art the Clown has become a horror genre staple thanks to the growing popularity of the Terrifier franchise, and portraying Freddy, even though he’d be buried under make-up, horror fans would more than likely see Art the Clown’s mannerisms bleeding into Freddy’s, and that could turn into a distraction. This could be a case of someone who is more than capable but already has a character in his arsenal that is larger than life for genre fans.
3. Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe is a legendary and acclaimed actor with four Academy Award nominations under his belt, one of which was for portraying Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire. It was one of several roles that have showcased his range and his ability to not shy away from roles that are both bizarre and a bit complicated. Dafoe’s natural intensity would be perfect for Freddy, and he brings a similar professionally trained level of talent that Englund brought to the role. Englund was classically trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and had a career as a stage actor before stepping into the role of Freddy Krueger, while Dafoe was a part of the experimental theater company Theatre X before apprenticing under Richard Schechner at the avant-garde theater group The Performance Group, which ultimately transitioned into The Wooster Group.
That background made Englund perfect for the role because he took it seriously and found some nuance in it, and that’s something that Dafoe would be equally excellent at. Dafoe has done it all, from mainstream blockbusters to true auteur work with some of the best directors in the business. The issue here isn’t talent, but it could come down to age. At 70, he’s just nine years younger than Englund, and that could prove to be a problem if this new Nightmare becomes more of a franchise.
2. Richard Brake
Should this new A Nightmare on Elm Street be aligned with Wes Craven’s original take on Freddy Krueger, which was much darker and more perverse than even the first film touched on, Richard Brake would be the perfect choice for an uncompromising and menacing take on the character. Brake is no stranger to the horror genre, having appeared in films such as Doom, Hannibal Rising, Perfect Skin, and Barbarian, with the latter two being a startling indication of some dark places he could go as Freddy, but he’s also known for the work he has done with musicians and horror director, Rob Zombie.
He has done four films with Zombie, including Halloween II (2009), 31, 3 From Hell, and The Munsters, which means he already has the seal of approval from horror genre fans. In addition to his horror genre work, Brake has also showcased a range across television work that also has genre approval, such as Game of Thrones, Ray Donovan, Mayor of Kingstown, and Absentia. With Brake, you get an accomplished actor with more than enough chops but also someone whose name wouldn’t overshadow the role. If they wanted Freddy to be truly dark, this would be the way to go.
1. Kevin Bacon
Perhaps it’s because Englund himself has said that Kevin Bacon would be a perfect choice as the new Freddy Krueger that has made him a personal favorite. It makes sense in a passing of the torch kind of way since Freddy himself wants it, but, beyond that, Bacon is a more than capable actor with a horror genre background and suitable chops that show off his charisma and yet an occasional deranged persona that would make him the right Freddy for a new generation.
His genre background runs deep with roles in Friday the 13th (1980), Tremors, Stir of Echoes, and the television series The Following, but he also has enough gravitas that he has displayed in films such as A Few Good Men, Apollo 13, and Mystic River, to name a few. He would be a perfect choice to blend the dark humor and malevolence of Freddy while not turning things into cheap camp. He would take the role seriously and would certainly have a lot of fun turning his Freddy into the stuff of nightmares for a brand new audience.
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