We got in touch with actor-turned-director Robert Englund to chat about his latest release Killer Pad (review), which is now available on DVD everywhere from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. During the interview we squeezed in a question about New Line and Platinum Dunes' upcoming remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, which has caused mass confusion on whether or not Englund would be returning as the infamous Freddy Krueger. Inside you can read his OFFICIAL respond to the rumors circulating on the web and watch this spot for a full interview in the coming week and don't forget to read our 15 Reasons FOR a Nightmare Remake!...
Here is what Robert Englund tells us about his thoughts on returning as Freddy Krueger in the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET remake:
"It’s a remake! It all came about while I was in Italy working on another film, so now I am back in Hollywood trying to play catch up. All I know is that Michael Bay made an announcement that he is producing the remake of the original. I don’t know if it has Wes Cravens blessing, I presume it does. With the success of Rob Zombies remake of Halloween and Hills Have Eyes remake, The Texas Chainsaw remakes, I like both the originals and the remakes. But of all the films I think The original Nightmare on Elm Street is certainly the scariest possible of the 20th century. Because the nature of the story and the stylized surrealism, the dreamscape that unfolds, if any of these movies are need of a remake with the use of new technologies it would seem that A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of them. It really does beg for the new technology, if you could think about the original with the benefit of CG it wouldn’t be a detriment. I don’t think it would hurt it because it’s such a great story and strong classical myth. I don’t know what that means, is he in overalls because he is a janitor, no more sweater, maybe a tool belt or some sort of creative reinterpretation of the original. There is something sacred about classics, regardless of genre, but there is a time and a place for it, I am certainly not appalled with it. I just hope they have Wes’s Blessing and that trust his story. But they could certainly have fun with the dream, sequences and of course re-interpreting Freddy.
I wouldn’t mind playing a cameo; it would be interesting to see if I could play the dream psychiatrist, I have heard that there is an interesting script regarding a prequel to the original going around. But lets face it I’m not a kid anymore; I have done a variety of films in many genres. I came out of that makeup after 10 years, and after I did a whole bunch of different films I did Freddy vs. Jason and have been real busy since. I could probably don the makeup, but they would certainly need a stunt double for the action stuff. I’m only good for about one take; then I get kind of sore.
If some one like Michael Bay who did the Transformers wants to get involved, he would certainly have a love and respect for it, and he and Wes could talk about all the hot young directors out there right now. I just worked with a great kid Adam Green on Hatchet, and Scott Glosserman on Behind the Mask. These guys are so talented, it would seem to me that of all the films that are getting tweaked Nightmare would lend it self to the new technology. I’m not surprised with the recent success of the later remakes, that A Nightmare on Elm Street is being remade."
so i take it thats the awful truth???? robert englund isnt playing freddy?im not gona bother with this one then rip freddy im not even gona waste electricity if thats the case
guys, let's just wait to see how it will look like, maybe the new Freedy will be scary as hell!! it wont beat Robert Englund's interpretation but it could turn out as a great remake, with all respect for the other films
Yeah, I am not thrilled with this. Of course, I am not thrilled with remakes in general. I am a huge Rob Zombie supporter but I don't think he should have touched Halloween, just like they shouldn't had touched TCM or The Fog.
sooo..basically this is the exact same interview he gave to another site that I read earlier in the month? A few words possibly tweaked here and there, but basically the same.
Frankly like ive said time after time, as long as the givens remain sacred and true to the remake/prequel (the sweater, the glove, the hat, boilder room) im all for it. Id love Robert to at the very least have a cameo appearance. It would be a slap in his face if he didnt at least get that. And I understand what hes saying when he tells you guys he isnt a kid anymore. The movie would practically be 60% his stunt double, as he isnt young and chipper as he used to be.
I'll be honest, I don't think this should be done without Robert as Freddy, but I gave up on the Nightmare series after the second movie. So I guess I really don't care what they do with this one. All we can hope is they get someone GOOD to play Freddy, and not just some flavor of the month douche bag. And remember.. even though it's being remade it has NO effect and takes NOTHING away from the original. So don't worry about it. If it sucks, just kick back with the original and be happy. Gotta think positive :)
Without Robert, it just wouldent be the same. love or hate the fuckin sequels but Enlgund brought freddy to fucking life in every movie. If it's over, it's over man. I enjoyed the ride, but that's it.
Robert Englund seems really cool with it, I know when Escape from New York was announced as a remake, Kurt Russell was pissed. He said, "Who's playing Snake?" "gerard butler maybe" "That's impossible...I'M Snake Plisken" so cool.
Laserscan Robert and make a CGI Freddy- that looks more horribly scared and disfigured- showing bone and missing the tip of his nose and eyelids, and then let Robert do the Voice Over.... for fuck sakes- Robert can still be Freddy- and Freddy can get a whole new look yet look like Freddy at the same time. You stupid hollywood cum guzzling cunts!!!!! I fucking hate you for fucking with ANOES!!!
Wow....stupid much.
It's called a remake for a reason. Which means it's only natural to get a new actor for the role. All complaining about it does is prove that your an idiot afraid of change. A new actor could be good or it could be bad, but for the love of god have some freakin faith that if they use someone else they'll get someone good.
Also yeah keep in mind it's still not official that Englund won't play Freddy, so seriously lose the unneeded drama.
i do expect alot if this movie is gonna be remade think about it thats like casting joe in place of curley in the three stooges shorts that just sucks donkey balls ..so Robert englund better be playing Freddy or they can take this movie and shove it up their ass .
He didn't even say he wasn't playing Freddy. he said "I could probably don the makeup, but they would certainly need a stunt double for the action stuff". Meaning he hasn't ruled out the possibility of playing Freddy. All this interview says is that he's undecided. Quit jumping to conclusions people.
This movie is going to be amazing. Everyone who keeps saying they wont see it because Robert isn't playing Freddy. The man is old. It's a REMAKE, get over it, you know you'll be there the day it opens to see, stop trying to act badass like youre a movie critic. If you are a FREDDY fan, then you will watch the movie.
Like someone else said, he didn't say that he is positively "NOT PLAYING FREDDY AGAIN", just wait and see, I have a great feeling that Robert will return as Freddy.
Why do people including Robert Englund keep saying he's too old to play Freddy? He did Freddy vs. Jason 5 years ago and it's not like he runs around doing backflips to kill sommeone. He just walks and does his thing. Ted White who played Jason in part 4 was 56 years old when he did The Final Chapter and he was fucking brutal. I love all the NOES movies and I'm not bashing them or Robert Englund. I just don't get it.
Definitely sitting this one out. I never thought I say that about an Elm Street move, but for fucks sake it's Platinum Dunes. I better buy a new box set before they start including this one in it.
So WTF is he playing him or not he didn't state shit. He said he will do it if he dosn't have to do his own stunts then said some other shit....WTF man r u pulling our chain just play FUCKIN freddy your FREDDY and like u said just have a stunt double do the rest.....
No Wrong ! i will not fucking be there on opening day, No Fucking Englund ,No fucking me Pulling money outta my wallet to wacth some other piece of shit trying to act like he's the man ,so this is to you Mr Bay you make this movie you you can shove a Gorilla up your skinny ass.. and no im not trying to be a fucking critic ,most critics are pussies bottom line .
Wow, this sucks. Anyway, I hate it when certain fans see news like this, and then get mad at other fans for not showing their support. As if we plebians aren't fit to eat the peanuts out of that jackass Michael Bay's shit, and should be greatful for any scraps thrown our way. Fuck that. I for one am not the undiscriminating moron audience member who's easily impressed by relatively high production values at whom Bay is aiming this remake at. Fuck you Michael Bay, and fuck Platinum Dunes.
I hate Michael Bay remakes. The characters are always pretty, photogenic tv actors who are extremely stupid and extremely hate-able. I hate the writers of F v J, and the shit they're coming up with for the Friday remake sounds like utter crap. Basically those writers seem like nerds writing characters based on painful high school memories, so the resulting victims are always shown to be beautiful, yet contemptible and hate-able. God, fuck you Michael Bay.
Fuck it, im looking forward to this.
It'll be nice to see a NOES film with some decent effects and a tidy budget, especially if they develope the freddy character to be the vicious killer he should have been instead of the joker he ended up.
just for the record TCM remake kicked ass.
There you go, suck it down kiddies
Dr p x
Did anyone NOT read Roberts comment's?
He seems totally ok with not being Freddy anymore. And let's face it, it's been 24 years since the original. He's probably ready to let it go and move on. Did the original Leatherface and Michael, and Jason pitch a fit? It makes total sense to have younger people do these parts. It's no disrespect to the original. How do you think the Black Knight would have come out if they had the original Batman, Adam West? C'mon. Get real folks. Our Horror icons get old like the rest of us.
u saw that fucking awfull halloween remake. come guys, Shitween made almost 60 millions at the box office and that is one of the most bad movie ever.
So what's the point?
Wholesale recycling of classic slasher franchises is fucking evil, man. You're not just fucking with classic mythologies, you're fucking with people's treasured childhood memories. There's no reason for this remake, except purely one related to economics.
screw the remake. wahhhhhh HE GETS TO SORE what a pussy. im sorry i guess if u wanna get paid the big bucks youd do it. u know kane hodder would prob. play jason if he was asked to. (wasnt sure who the star was in the new jason(. u know fans like me and everyone on this site grew up to noes with robert englund. NOOONE can play freddy like him. agree with deathplatinum. fuck the remake!!!!!!!!!......how can he be too old when freddy vs jason came out like what?? few years ago. what a pussy......
i have to admit, not having robert as freddy is a let down. I understand his reasoning why and in reality you cant have an actor play a character forever cause of age, but unlike many horror icons, freddy had a personality, and that was 100% because of Robert Englund. I have to see how this project progresses, and keep and open mind, but this was surely a let down.
I knee jerk alot. My first thought of Heath ledger being the joker as "fuck that" and that looks incredible.
But thinking about it, Robert is probably about 50 or so. which is why to old to ask him to apply that make up. maybe the guy they will hire will be more Leatherface and less Micheal Myers.
i said before than Freddy without Englund is just not worth it. They fucked up far easier roles in remakes so will they able to pull this off? I won't make another comment until New Line gives us some proper facts and photos
Fuck this man, I was hoping for Englund but even then I didn't care for a remake. Now without him I'm gonna pretend it doesn't even exist, plus all the cgi in the world will never match the original, the effects in the original kill any CGI shit I've seen anyway, CGI and Horror just don't mix and neither does ANOES with anoone other then Robert playing Freddy
It's real simple. You cannot substitute horror icons. Freddy, Pinhead, Chucky, etc. If they chose to have a new actor play these parts then why make a remake at all? They are icons for a reason. You cannot substitute for personality. Lucky for hollywood that anyone could play Jason and Myers and we wouldn't know till the credits roll.
I am not really against remakes. I have liked a fair share of them. Personally, I would rather just see Englund in a cameo role other than playing the character again. He's getting a bit long in the tooth. I can understand not wanting someone who can't act or not wanting Brad Pitt (who actually can act), but either way I don't want some hokey jokey asshole when he's supposed to be a sickening child molester/killer. It's a waster of words and letters to bitch about a remake anymore, it does no good. And it doesn't take away the magic of the original on any account.
Actually there's no reason that I can think of as to why A Nightmare on Elm Street should be remade!!! It's good the way it is but of course Hollywood can't leave well enough alone.
Seriously you people bashing it for possibly not having Englund are idiots. Face the facts, Robert being in the movie does NOT mean it will be awsome, just like him not being in it will make it suck.
You do realize the fact that all the crappy sequels were crappy with him in it right? What would make the remake ANY different from those movies if it had Englund in it? Familiarity? Well now isn't that what's in essence made Freddy LESS scary? It's time to bring Freddy back to the evil he used to be, and in all honesty to do that he needs to be revamped a bit. Which means someone new.
Well said. Let's also remember that what was scary to our generation 20 - 25 years ago, is laughable to todays generation. Just like our parents generation who insisted how scary Psycho and House on Haunted Hill were,( GREAT movies by the way), but not when you or I saw it when you compared it to Chainsaw, Halloween,Friday, and yes, Nightmare on Elm Street. The times change and it's remake mania. It's not going to stop. With that being said, our Horror icons are ripe for re-introducing to todays teenagers with a harder, more graphic edge to fit the changing times. You may hate it,bitch,gripe and whine, but it's useless. Face the inevitable. And last, if it bothers you so much, don't pay to see it and stick to watching the originals. Hollywood can't remake YOUR favorite film if you don't watch it.
I agree i was against a Nightmare remake befor I read this. It will be hollywooded out and filled with pretty people and im sure lame. Freddy just isnt a horror character. His image was ruined with all the crappy sequals and horrible comedic oneliners. Then those films shadowed the original film, left us with what we have now.
Hey, you super intelligent people who are (swoon) open-minded and giving this remake a (swoon) chance.
GET THIS THROUGH YOUR HEAD:
A "new" Freddy - Not guaranteed to be bad (see "New Nightmare")
A "relaunch" film of the franchise - ditto
A "new" Freddy and a "relaunch" aimed towards today's mainstream Horror(tm) kiddy crowd, produced by Michael Bay, made to capitalize off the success of Rob Zombie's Halloween - FUCKING HORRIBLE.
Now go hold hands in some field where no movies are ever bad, and circle-jerk to the Black Christmas remake.
"Black Christmas" Heh. Rememeber when that was known as a classic slasher? Those were the days.
ok this fil officially is gonna be shit. no englund no decent freddy and for the guy earlier who said that none of the original actors from originals such as playing jason didnt moan ermm if im right didnt kane hodder have holy hell because they decided to get rid of him for freddy vs jason as i remember a petition was made but no one gave a fuck in the end. i cant say this is gonna be good cos it wont. look at halloween. zombie humanized mysers in his first cut. this film will suck donkey dick. as the old saying goes, if it aint broke dont fix it!!!!
i'd like to see the whole concept taken apart and recreated with greater intensity. i think the original nightmare on elm was one of the greatest horror films ever, but i found the dream killer in "nightmare detective" far more unnerving in a contemporary way than freddy. yeah, i know...i'm gonna catch hell for that one. oh well...
Sometimes, I hate fandom. Brings out the whiny fucking idiots. If I had my way, sure there wouldn't be a remake of this film at all. Since this is the reality of it though, the last thing I'd want to see is Robert Englund return. There's a real opportunity to bring the character back to the darkest side leaving behind the jokes and lunchbox approach. I swear half the films should have emphasized the "TM" above the title in big letters since that's what it was all about. It was all gimmicks, marketing, and keeping the brandname going. Some of you need to quit swinging on Englund's balls. Your unrealistic outlook on this is embarrassing. Englund is old and tired, and he hasn't done the character he brought to life any justice since part 3. You keep whining about your fucking childhood, yet NOBODY is going to force you to see it. I would also bet both of my kidneys that all of you bashers and whiners will be at the theater to see this remake, because you're so fucking stupid and don't have any backbone whatsoever. So just give it a fucking rest already with all the "WAH WAH WAH NO ROBERT ENGLUND, BAY RAPE MY CHILDHOOD WAH WAH WAH!!"
fuck platinum dunes(all their remakes suck balls!!)fuck whoever does this remake, and must of all fuck michael bay, all his movies suck anyway!
this is an absolutely horrificly bad idea. if we are lucky it will never happen, but unfortunately, it will!
maybe they should quit making shitty remakes and start getting creative again and come up with original film ideas. remakes are never as good as originals.(its scientific fact)
I want to play freddy I ve done it for 3 seasons at nightmare at pinehaven . I walk like him laugh down and move my gloved hand down like robert so I know the caracter better then any one even check out my space name is chuck visger look it up and watch the nightmare at pinehaven video on ther web sight trust me if they dont use me for freddy they will be making a big mistake and what ever they do do not use lex from smallville thats the outher thing I read earlyer to day this nightmare on elm st is going to get worse be for it gets better. just so every one know I have no disrespect for robert but if you can please pul it off 1 more time thanks chuck
Please join me and other fans in the Nightmare Remake protest. Your help is much needed!
Are you against the Remake of Nightmare on elm street?? Do you support the REAL Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund)?? Then please sign the No Nightmare Remake Petition!
http://www. ipetitions. com/petition/nonewnightmare/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The goal is to get around 1,000 signatures.... with your help, we can do it! Please Post this wherever you can. After we obtain enough signatures, I plan to print out the petition and send it to the film companies through regular mail.
even tho it's sad that he won't be playing freddy its not gonna stop me watching the remake. I mean it might not be good but you have to see, how they take it and change it. I hated the new halloween but I couldnt have not watched it tbh
*sigh* i'm scared to say that the film will do very badly with out Robert as Freddy thats what me and all his other fans have grown to love we all know he is the only man that can play as Freddy there like one a part of Freddy is Robert i feel and well with out him it wouldnt be the same
Looking forward to seeing this one, HOpefully the solution for not using Robert Englund will be something creative, if you try to mimic the exact look of freddy without Robert Englund, it's just gonna seem right to me, hopefully a good solution or decision that will be made about that will be a good thing, but I am always open minded to give anything a chance with open arms, Wes Craven & John Carpenter sure are getting rich from the remakes that people are doing of their originals, my goodness already carpenter's fog, halloween, assault on precinct 13 have been remade, as well as craven's the hills have eyes, and the upcoming remake of the last house on the left and now nightmare, that's alot of remake money...
doesnt anybody ever consider remaking an actual shitty original movie? that way it can be a good idea to make the original piece of crap much better, doesnt that make sense a bit?...
"YOU CANT FIX SOMETHING THAT ISN'T BROKE"
Okay, so you are to tell me that, this so called "re-imagining",(thats what they call it so they can completly fuck up the original), of the orginal Nightmare film, will not be starring the only man on the face of the earth that can pull off possibly one of the most horrifying roles in film history, Robert Englund, well i am fucking pissed off now, who the fuck is new line going to get? it doesnt matter, you might as well put matt damon up there in a sweater, FUCK NEW LINE, FUCK PLATINUM DUNES, FUCK EVERYBODY THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PIECE OF SHIT FILM!!!
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"It’s a remake! It all came about while I was in Italy working on another film, so now I am back in Hollywood trying to play catch up. All I know is that Michael Bay made an announcement that he is producing the remake of the original. I don’t know if it has Wes Cravens blessing, I presume it does. With the success of Rob Zombies remake of Halloween and Hills Have Eyes remake, The Texas Chainsaw remakes, I like both the originals and the remakes. But of all the films I think The original Nightmare on Elm Street is certainly the scariest possible of the 20th century. Because the nature of the story and the stylized surrealism, the dreamscape that unfolds, if any of these movies are need of a remake with the use of new technologies it would seem that A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of them. It really does beg for the new technology, if you could think about the original with the benefit of CG it wouldn’t be a detriment. I don’t think it would hurt it because it’s such a great story and strong classical myth. I don’t know what that means, is he in overalls because he is a janitor, no more sweater, maybe a tool belt or some sort of creative reinterpretation of the original. There is something sacred about classics, regardless of genre, but there is a time and a place for it, I am certainly not appalled with it. I just hope they have Wes’s Blessing and that trust his story. But they could certainly have fun with the dream, sequences and of course re-interpreting Freddy.
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