Hot off of his incredible performance as Rorschach in the Watchmen Movie, Jackie Earle Haley has signed on to play yet another fan favorite character. He'll be taking on the role of Freddy Krueger in a new Nightmare on Elm Street film that is set to reboot the franchise in the same way the new Friday the 13th film just did for its film series.
New Line decided last year to relaunch the movie series centered on the iconic killer, who haunts the dreams of teenagers and kills them in their sleep. Krueger was played by Robert Englund in the 1984 original, spawning nine films and two TV series in what was New Line's most lucrative franchise until "The Lord of the Rings."
As sad as I am that Robert Englund won't be reprising his most famous role as the child killing Krueger, I must admit that I understand why he won't be. A franchise reboot is just that, a reboot. It means out with the old and in with the new. And while I am certain that no one here would argue against Englund's ability to still portray the character with every bit of awesomeness that he once did, I'm sure we can all understand that a new film series demands a new lead actor.
Additionally, speaking with the SciFi Wire, the film's producer Brad Fuller had the following to say about Haley's casting.
Haley "was the only person we ever considered for the role," Fuller wrote, adding: "Come on, people, an Academy Award Nominated actor is playing Krueger. This was no small accomplishment, but everyone involved wanted it to happen. We all know that Jackie is an unbelievable actor, but I want to let you in on something you might not know. [Director] Sam [Bayer], [fellow producer] Drew [Form] and I had drinks with Jackie and were elated to learn that he is just like us. He is a huge fan of horror, and well aware of the rightful place Freddy Krueger holds in the horror pantheon. Quite simply, he knows what he has to do, and is very up to the task."
Personally, I'm really happy with the casting of Haley as Freddy. He's a tremendous actor who can play insane and creepy really well. He's a perfect choice for the role, and I think he'll do an incredible job of filling in Englund's shoes. Plus, this film is being made by the same people who were behind the Friday the 13th reboot which was amazingly good and faithful to the original series. If this new Freddy film is anywhere near as good as that reboot was, both new and old fans alike will definitely have something to love.
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