New Line has to have something in the works with Freddy Krueger. However, no one knows exactly what it is.
After a failed attempted at rebooting the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET franchise back in 2010, back to the drawing board appeared to be the proper strategy to take in figuring out what to do with Freddy next. He is a horror icon when you get down to it, and letting him sit on the sidelines doing nothing never sounded like a sound approach.
With rumors that they are developing something, Robert Englund recently weighed in with his thoughts on what they might have up their sleeves. While it may be nothing more than his speculation, it’s intriguing speculation nonetheless.
Well, I left America before this really sort of hit the tweets, and my only knowledge or gossip is that apparently they approached Tuesday Knight – she’s the young actress from Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4, who replaced Patricia Arquette. I was trying to think ‘what does that mean?’ They can’t possibly be remaking Nightmare on Elm Street Part 1 again – they just did that. I think they may be remaking Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3.
This is all speculation. Part 3, Dream Warriors, is the most successful film, and the most popular of the franchise. And it would make sense for them on a kind of Nightmare on Elm Street cinematic pun, to hire Tuesday to play the mother in Part 3, Patricia Arquette’s mother, because that would mean she’s playing her own mother. Obviously Tuesday’s older now, it kind of makes sense. So that’s my theory.
They’re not gonna bring me back for Freddy, but perhaps they would bring me back in a cameo as the elderly dream expert at the local clinic for dream analysis or dream therapy or something like that. Maybe they would be smart or wise enough to capitalize on that.
Englund does have a point in that New Line can’t possibly go back to the start again. That’s already been done and, for a number of reasons, it did not work. But trying to ramp up something with Freddy that hits the ground running and picks up on previous mythology while putting a fresh coat of paint on it? That may be doable.
Granted, retelling what is arguably the best chapter of the ELM STREET series is sure to ruffle a number of feathers, but, if they could use the foundation for that popular film and do something fresh with it, I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. A sequel that picks up after A NEW NIGHTMARE doesn’t seem likely, and Englund isn’t going to sport the claw again, so, if this is the idea, it may be the best fans of the series could hope for if they want to see Freddy alive once again.
If another NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is in the works, is DREAM WARRIORS a good spot for them to restart?