April Fools! Did we get you? We hope we got you. For something more real, read about how Stephen King almost took the reins of A Nightmare on Elm Street.

The first story details for A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s reboot have been revealed, which will pit Robert Englund’s Freddy Krueger against Jackie Earle Haley’s version of the character. Englund played the iconic dream demon in a total of eight Nightmare on Elm Street movies between 1984 and 2003, as well as a brief cameo in The Goldbergs in 2018. Haley on the other hand only played the character for one movie in 2010, the remake that was panned by both fans and critics.

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It has been over a decade since Freddy Krueger appeared on the big screen. However, fans got a glimmer of hope in 2019 when it was announced that Wes Craven’s estate was exploring ideas for a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie. The estate was reportedly also interested in a TV series that would likely go to HBO Max if it happens. With Craven’s estate not even having solid plans on a project, there weren’t any story details on whether the film would be a reboot, a sequel, or even if Englund would return as Freddy. Now, horror buffs are finally getting some answers.

According to a press release from New Line Cinema, the next Nightmare on Elm Street is bringing back both Englund and Haley’s versions of Freddy for a film titled Freddy vs.Freddy. “The seed of this idea actually dates back to New Nightmare,” says Robert Englund, who wished to return to his most iconic role “before my knees give out for good.” The star revealed that in early drafts for Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, there was a scene where the old version of Freddy was gruesomely dispatched by his demonic doppelganger during a dream sequence. “Wes could never quite get that concept of Freddy vs. Freddy to work for that movie, but I think fans will really dig a full on slasher duke fest between me and Jackie!” Freddy vs. Freddy producer Robert Shaye mentioned that the studio plans to push Freddy vs. Freddy out before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Flash, both of which are focusing on the multiverse concept. As Shaye explained:

“A Nightmare of Elm Street has always been at the forefront of trends, from 3D to metatextual exploration to successful remakes. The Multiverse is the 2020s trend, and what better way to honor the franchise than pit both popular versions of Freddy Kreuger against each other? Freddy and Jason were the original shared universe. Now Nightmare will lead as one of the first multiverses. Some may question the short production time, but remember that Freddy’s Dead was made in 7 months, so it’s proven it can be done”

As Shaye mentioned above, the box office is about to be swarmed with a wave of films revolving around the multiverse concept. There have been several reports that Spider-Man: No Way Home will feature Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield alongside Tom Holland, something that was only strengthened by Jamie Foxx getting cast as Electro. With Marvel and DC both introducing a multiverse storyline into their franchises, Shaye is smart to try to get Freddy vs. Freddy released before these blockbusters. Freddy vs. Freddy may not be as big as a superhero movie, but having two versions of Freddy in the same film is sure to bring people to theaters.

The news that Englund is finally returning as Freddy is exciting, but the rushed production is worrisome. Due to the popularity of the franchise throughout the ’80s, several Nightmare on Elm Street sequels were pumped out with a tight turnaround time. Some of the sequels even started filming before the complete story was fleshed out. 1991’s Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare had a short production, but it is also considered one of the worst films in the franchise. Even with vaccines starting to be distributed throughout the country, the coronavirus pandemic could affect the production schedule. Regardless, this is an interesting step for the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, especially since they are acting on an idea Craven had all the way back in the early ’90s.

Source: New Line Cinema

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Christopher Fiduccia
(1111 Articles Published)

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Christopher is a news writer, editor, and senior trainer at Screen Rant. He graduated from Rock Valley College in 2018 with an Associate of Arts degree and a Media Production Specialist certificate.

After running his own movie blog for over five years, Christopher joined the Screen Rant team in 2018 as a list writer. Christopher is a sucker for ‘80s horror and giant monster movies but has covered a wide range of topics during his employment at Screen Rant.

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