“A guy can dream…”: Mike Flanagan Teases ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Remake After 15 Years as ‘Scream’ Star Eyes the Lead Role
1984’s popular supernatural slasher movie, A Nightmare on Elm Street, was written and directed by Wes Craven. The movie follows a group of teenagers who are targeted by Freddy Krueger, an undead child killer who could murder people through their dreams as a punishment for being burned alive by their parents. A Nightmare on Elm Street was Johnny Depp’s debut movie, and Robert Englund portrayed the character of a child killer.
Considered one of the greatest horror movies of all time, A Nightmare on Elm Street received critical acclaim upon its release and later spawned six sequels. Freddy Krueger is considered one of the most iconic villains of all time. The franchise has grossed over $472 million at the box office, and now a filmmaker has expressed his desire to revisit the horror franchise.
Mike Flanagan hints at wanting to revisit A Nightmare on Elm Street
Popularly known for his work on Netflix shows including The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher, filmmaker Mike Falanagan’s recent tweet suggests that he’d like to revisit the successful horror franchise.
The filmmaker recently re-posted a fan-made poster of Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street, designed by Creepy Duck Design. The artwork was shared with a caption, ‘Mike and Freddy’, which the filmmaker reposted with a caption,
A guy can dream
Over the years, the franchise grew by publishing twelve novels, separate from the adaptation of the movies, and multiple comic book series featuring Freddy Krueger. A remake of the original movie was released in 2010, starring Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy. The movie received negative reviews upon its release but managed to gross over $117 million worldwide.
Fans were thrilled to witness Flanagan’s interest in revisiting one of the greatest horror movies but were disappointed to remember that Robert Englund might not be able to reprise the role. In an interview with Variety in 2023, the actor said,
I’m too old and thick to play Freddy now. I just can’t do fight scenes for more than one take anymore. I’ve got a bad neck, a bad back, and arthritis in my right wrist. So I have to hang it up, but I would love to do a cameo.
Englud during the interview said that Freddy Krueger could be an icon but not him. One of the main complaints about the 2010 revival was the recasting of Freddy.
Scream VI actress Samara Weaving desires to star in A Nightmare on Elm Street
There have been no comments from the studio or the makers about the revival of A Nightmare on Elm Street, except for actress Samara Weaving, who, while promoting her horror movie Azrael, expressed her desire to star in a movie alongside Freddy Krueger.
In a conversation with Collider back in March, the actress was asked if there was a franchise she’d like to join. The Scream Queen said,
Nightmare on Elm Street. I can do it. Unless Billie Eilish gets it now.
Weaving, who is known for her character portrayal in movies including The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Babylon, Chevalier, and more, appeared as Laura Crane in 2023’s Scream VI. The actress is regarded as her layered scream, which, according to Collider, could ‘pierce one’s soul like a razor-sharp knife’.
In her interview with Den of Geek in March, she was asked, what about the horror genre attracted her the most, to which she said,
It’s such a good vehicle to explore so many things. For Azrael, it’s ‘What is family, what is betrayal, and what is superstition?’ I love doing stunt work, but I don’t love being covered in blood, because it’s made out of caramel syrup and it’s so sticky.
The actress admits that the original Scream movie was one of her inspirations when she first starred in 2019’s Ready or Not, adding that she loved the original movie so much. Weaving says she loves Two Killers, and it is one of her favorite movies.
Keeping the love she has for the horror genre aside, it is hard to say if she’ll get a chance to star alongside Freddy Krueger or not as of now.
A Nightmare on Elm Street is streaming on Netflix.
