It seems like every other horror film is being remade so it wasn't long before rumors of a 'Nightmare on Elm Street' reboot is being planned. After all, if there was one iconic baddie from the 80's, it would be the horribly burnt wisecracking Freddy Krueger with his knife glove and easily recognizable striped sweater.
But don't expect Robert Englund to reprise his iconic role in a remake. When the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' star spoke with Moviepilot, he made sure it was clear that he would rather do a sequel.
"You don't do remakes!" Englund exclaimed. "I would do 'Freddy 9,' you know? Or I would do 'Freddy vs Michael Myers.' Or I would do a prequel."
The 68-year-old actor is so against the reboot that he even had a pitch for a totally different kind of 'Nightmare.'
"Well, I'd like to see 'Nightmare in the Hood!' I would!" Englund said. "I think it'd be really interesting to do a line of, like, retro '80s hip hop ones and get a black actor to play Freddy and all the kids are, like, hip hop. Just do it the same!"
Robert Englund also shared some insight on why Freddy Krueger still terrifies people until now.
"You can imagine Freddy to be anything you want. My theory is the word 'child killer,' there's something darkly...darkly poetic about that," he said. "It's a very frightening phrase. Child killer! That should be enough. And I think there's something symbolic about being a child killer."
The veteran actor continued by explaining Freddy's motivation.
"He kills children because children are their future and there's no place for Freddy in the future. And it's revenge on the parents! It's the most painful thing a parent can do is to lose a child before they die," Englund said. "I mean, I can't imagine how anybody...how any adults or parents survive that, the death of a child. So that's nasty enough!"
Although Robert Englund has played Freddy Krueger in eight 'Nightmare on Elm Street' films, the serial killer was portrayed by 'Watchmen' star Jackie Earle Hayley in the 2010 remake.
