Robert Englund says he'll return as Freddy Krueger—but only if this one thing happens
Horror legend Robert Englund says he’d slip the glove back on as Freddy Krueger—if one key box gets ticked. While promoting his new animated film, the Elm Street icon opened up about the franchise’s future and the condition that could lure him back into your nightmares.
Here’s one you don’t get every day: Robert Englund, the bloke who’s spent decades slashing his way through our nightmares as Freddy Krueger, says he’d happily haunt Elm Street again—so long as he can park the stunt work and just do the voice. He’s got his reasons, and honestly, fair play to him.
Englund Still Loves a Good Nightmare (From a Comfortable Chair)
Chatting to ComingSoon for the 40th anniversary of A Nightmare on Elm Street (has it really been that long?), Englund spoke about all those rumours floating around regarding the franchise. To hear him tell it, people have pitched everything from a straight reboot to a full-on animated project.
When they asked if he’d be up for voicing Freddy in animation, Englund grinned—figuratively, it’s a transcript—and said:
"Yeah, that would be fun... I sure would. That’s easy for me. I’m an old dog now. I can start and end stunts, but I can’t do them and repeat them anymore. I can’t snap my head from every different angle."
Translation: Happy to play along with the scarred fedora-wearer, just don’t ask him to throw himself around like it’s 1984 all over again.
Forget Remaking the First Elm Street—Start with the Third One
Here’s where Englund gets a bit opinionated—and who can blame him? When talk shifted to the subject of yet another big screen reboot, he admitted he’s not that keen on seeing the original film remade for the thousandth time. In his view, the far smarter play would be to kick things off with Dream Warriors (the third film in the series) instead.
Why? Well, he points out that 'Dream Warriors' isn’t just popular with fans—by his reckoning, it’s the most successful and beloved entry in the whole Elm Street saga. Even the film’s opening, which basically gives you a speedy rundown of the story so far, gets a nod from Englund as a clever way to reboot the lot without trudging through old ground.
What Has Englund Been Up To Lately?
If you’re wondering what Englund’s been up to—other than pondering the fate of Freddy—he’s lent his voice to something properly weird: he plays a rather nasty Cricket in Pinocchio Unstrung, directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield. And this isn’t your Disney bedtime story. Picture a chilling version of Pinocchio, set in a fancy London prep school, where a disturbingly manipulative Cricket urges Pinocchio into a grisly mission: turn himself into a real boy, one violent act at a time… so he can be like his brother James.
- Title: Pinocchio Unstrung
- Director: Rhys Frake-Waterfield
- Englund's Role: The sinister Cricket (voice)
- Setting: Elite London prep school
- Plot Glimpse: Pinocchio, egged on by the Cricket, takes a bloody path to try and 'become' his brother James
- Release date: 24 July 2026 (UK cinemas – mark your calendar if you fancy something twisted)