Back in September, Bloody Disgusting reported the news that the U.S. rights to A Nightmare On Elm Street had gone back to the Wes Craven Estate. Since then, there’s been a lot of fun debate over what should happen with the franchise. Do you try and bring back Robert Englund? Do you again remake the original? Do you leave it alone and let it go?
I thought it’d be fun to lay our gloves on the table and take a look at some of the possible options for moving forward. So here are some of the current possibilities in play….
Pay Him Whatever & Get Robert Englund Back In The Role. One Last Time.
Why it works: I realize Robert said he was too old to play the character now. He’s also said that before. Who wouldn’t want Robert Englund to play Freddy again? There’s probably no-one who will ever do it better. Imagine the box office response to the original Freddy Krueger gracing the glove one last time?
Why it doesn’t: Robert’s back. Great! Where are we going from here? To quote Freddy’s Dead: “The map says we’re fucked!” He could come back for one, maybe two live action films? Then what? We’re right back where we started. That could be bad for the future of the franchise overall.
Make a ‘Nightmare On Elm Street’ Prequel
Why it works: The idea of this film has been of interest to Freddy fans for a long time. There’s been unmade scripts, fan films, etc. All depicting the origin of Fred Krueger and the angry mob of parents who killed him. Robert Englund himself may have said it best when he recently told SyFy:
“I think that the franchise probably deserves a really good prequel. There’s never been an entire movie devoted to Freddy before he was burned and the crimes and getting caught by the police and going on trial and getting away with killing children.”
Why it doesn’t: We’re not actually getting Freddy Krueger. I think that’s an idea it’s going to be hard to sell the general public on. Even hardcore Freddy fans would have to admit a feeling of emptiness knowing we’re about to experience a NOES film with no fully formed Freddy. Not to mention, where do you go afterwards? Aren’t we now right back at remaking the first film?
Speaking of that option….
Another Full Blown Remake/Reboot
Why it works: The easiest studio option. Clean slate. No concern over general audience members not understanding the character or the canon and it’s already been proven to work at the box office (see 2010). Maybe this time they get it right and we’re off and running with a brand new franchise outlook.
Why it doesn’t: After 2010, the very mention of the word remake will likely cause an immediate gag reflex in most fans and general movie goers. That’s a hard way to start the train rolling on a big project like this. It’s hard to imagine anyone wants to see someone attempt to recreate Wes Craven’s classic over again. The film is so well known, there just aren’t any surprises to be had there and if there are, it’s hard to imagine they’d be satisfying.
A Remake of ‘Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors’
Why it works: Forget everything I said before about the word remake. A remake of Dream Warriors is a ballsy studio move that would create immediate buzz and interest amongst fans. Dream Warriors is one of the most beloved films of the franchise, and even Robert Englund himself has stated he’d love to cameo in a new take on the 1987 sequel.
Why it doesn’t: Talk about confusing the general audience. If we’re just going to have Freddy show up without much explanation as to who the hell he is, why not just make a new sequel? Dream Warriors is one of those one of a kind films that worked on a lot of levels but it probably shouldn’t have. A slasher horror film dealing with dark mental issues that suddenly turns into a full blown fantasy film midway through? That’s a tall task for Freddy’s first foray back to the big screen.
‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’ TV Series
Why it works: The ability to tell longer stories and flesh out characters further. It’s less risky than a theatrical film. You can take more chances with the characters and if the show is successful? You can have it all. The prequel story, the original film told in a fresh new format, the best parts of each sequel as we move forward. Imagine how exciting it would be to realize we’re heading towards Dream Warriors territory at the end of Season 3.
Why it doesn’t: So many places to screw up. The wrong platform alone could doom the project. I don’t think Freddy was meant for TBS. This has to be on HBO/Netflix or a platform that will give it the opportunity to spread its diabolical wings. Will the budget give the showrunners room to be successful? Remember ‘Freddy’s Nightmares’? How do you handle Freddy’s grueling makeup situation with all that extra content needing to be filmed?
‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’ Animated Film or Series
Why it works: We get to see Robert Englund as Freddy again and for possibly a long time afterwards. Not to mention, all the messed up things Freddy could do to his victims in an animated dream world with no limitations. Englund himself recently told Syfy he’d be interested with certain conditions in mind, saying: “Now, if they did a really expensive animated version, a graphic novel animated version, I would love to go do the voice for it. Yeah, that would be fun to do.”
Why it doesn’t: With all respect to animation…it’s just not the same. Most likely the general public wouldn’t give an animated film or series the time of day no matter the word of mouth. An animated series would in no way have to interfere with any of the options above. So why limit ourselves to the animated route when we could just as easily have both?
Finally, I give you my personal favorite option…
Pick The Storyline Up After The Original Film In a “Partial” Remake of ‘Freddy’s Revenge’
Why it works: Tie the story together a little better than the original and keep Freddy more embedded in his original roots and this film could be scary as hell. Freddy was at his meanest in Revenge and yet most people barely remember the film. You won’t have audiences holding check lists waiting for bad recreations of scenes from Wes Craven’s classic like you would with a remake of the original. This is the type of film begging to be remade. A film with crazy potential that just needs a few tweaks.
Why it doesn’t: Some people simply aren’t fans of this sequel and others would really hate the idea of striking the other films from canon as Halloween 2018 did, despite it ultimately working out for the best.
At least for the time being, these seem like the main options the franchise has to consider going forward. Which option is your favorite and better yet, do you have any other ideas?
Sound off below!
