Although no one has been confirmed, several possible actors could replace Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street. England portrayed Kreuger in eight different films from the Elm Street franchise, as well as the television show, Freddy’s Nightmares. Although Englund has retired from playing Freddy, due to his age and the demands of the role, no other actor is yet set to replace the legend. There hasn’t been an official update to the franchise in over a decade, with Englund’s last appearance as Krueger being a guest role in The Goldbergs in 2018.
Unlike other killers, such as Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger talks a lot, giving him a lot of personality, full of iconic phrases. This means it’s difficult to find a replacement for the villain, as fans of the franchise have a very clear idea of Freddy’s personality. Freddy’s personality is also considered a combination of drama and humor, a tone that Englund spent many years establishing. Englund requested a cameo in any new films produced, it doesn’t matter which new actor takes on the legendary role.
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Bill Skarsgard
Known for: It: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, Boy Kills World, The Crow (2024)
Skarsgård’s horror film resume has grown quite a bit over the last decade, with his most notable role as Pennywise in THIS. His mysterious presence and appearance help make him a great asset in any horror film, heightening the suspense. His ability to create disturbing characters makes him a natural choice for Freddy. This creepiness could be an excellent addition to the Freddy character, allowing for more close-ups and depth in the camera work, as opposed to the campy footage of the original franchise.
Skarsgård has shown his ability to play a wide range of emotions in his horror performance, from sadistic joy as villain to tragic vulnerability as victim. This depth could allow for a more detailed interpretation of Freddy, exploring his history and motivations. Additionally, his youth could help make him a Freddy actor for years to come depending on the success of his initial portrayal, further establishing him as a horror icon to generations of fans.
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Sung Kang
Known for: The Fast and Furious franchise
Best known for his involvement in Fast and Furious franchise, Sung Kang expressed interest in playing Freddyconsidering it a bucket list item. He was particularly impressed by the iconic sweater and knife fingers. Kang compares the time Freddy spent sitting with prosthetics to the time he spent working on Star Wars Obi Wan series. Even with this experience, Kang has said publicly that he isn’t sure he can go through the transformation for months.
Kang also recently made his feature film directorial debut on the 2022 creature feature film, Trembling shivers. In interviews about his film, Kang credits the murderous villains of the 1980s with helping shape his idea of horrorespecially Jason and Freddy. He considers it a full-circle moment to be able to play the monster who helped fuel his interest in the entertainment industry. This passion could bring an authentic intensity to his portrayal, giving renewed life to the classic character.
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Michael Keaton
Known for: Beetlejuice, Batman (1989), Spider-Man: Homecoming
Although he has had a vast acting career across multiple genres, Keaton has proven his comedy and horror skills by playing Beetlejuice over several decades. Although Beetlejuice is not as scary or murderous as Freddy, it still represents a significant horror monster genre. Both Freddy and Beetlejuice are known for their one-liners, which makes them relatively likable antagonists and helps develop their characters. Keaton’s ability to shift between tones could allow for a Freddy that is both terrifying and darkly humorous.
Keaton would bring the same iconic greatness to the role as Englund. While his horror resume isn’t very extensive, mostly filled with his work on Beetle juice movies, Keaton’s dramatic and comedy films are plentiful. Unfortunately, Keaton is around the same age as Englundwho considered himself too old to play Freddy’s physicality. Keaton may also be past the ideal age to portray all the nuances and movements of the iconic villain well.
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Ricardo Freio
Known for: Game of Thrones, Barbarian, The Devil’s Rejects
Richard Brake is a well-known actor who many believe could play the role of Freddy well. Brake made a name for himself playing scary characters, whether openly evil or silently sinister. He became a well-known face in the genre and played roles in several of Rob Zombie’s films. Brake has integrated himself into the genre, giving a subconscious darkness to every role he plays. Many believe that Freddy could allow him to achieve the proper darkness that he clearly manages to achieve.
His expanding career showed his acting talent and ability to carry a role, especially when hiding his natural Welsh accent.
Brake’s most popular credits include Batman begins, Absence, Peaky Blinders, and Game of Thrones. His expanding career showed his acting talent and ability to carry a role, especially when hiding his natural Welsh accent. Many also point to Brake as having a significant physical resemblance to Freddy, helping to match Englund’s established style, although the two actors are of different heights.
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Javier Botet
Know: REC, The Last Voyage of Demeter, Mama
Botet is not necessarily a household name, but he has starred in many well-known films. Botet is best known for its hyperflexibility due to the early diagnosis of Marfan Syndrome. This ability to move his body in unique ways made Botet an important horror actor. His horror resume includes playing the creature in Slenderman, REC, Mama, The Conjuring 2, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and THISamong many others.
Botet’s body and physical presence, standing at an imposing 1.80m tall, could extend Freddy to even scarier proportions. Its physicality and experience in acting as a creature can make the demon more dreamlike and mysterious, increasing its strangeness. While he may not have Freddy’s comedic timing and one-liners, Botet’s performance in the role could be an excellent way to reinvigorate the franchise and create a new version of Freddy.
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Walton Goggins
Known for: Justified, Fallout, Vice Principals
Goggins’ role as The Ghoul in Precipitation it helped showcase his ability to switch between horror and comedy, just like Freddy. His performances vary between intense drama and dark comedy, as well as the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies tend to do. Goggins’ experience with these versatile rules can help him embody the humor and tragedy of the Freddy character.
The Ghoul is brought to life by Goggins, amplified by his ability to add personality to his characters. Aside from his claws and sweater, Freddy is best known for his funny one-liners and sassy attitude. With the same taste he used in Precipitation, Goggins could help remake Freddy in his own creepy, macabre image. The Ghoul also showed that Goggins is comfortable performing under heavy makeup and prosthetics, just as the role of Freddy requires.
Goggins’ other horror roles include a performance in Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses. His acting resume is also highlighted in some high-profile Quentin Tarantino films, which has earned him some respect in the industry. Although he doesn’t have an extensive horror film resume, Goggins proved himself to be a frightening actor who may be up to the challenge of the legendary Freddy Krueger.
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Devon Sawa
Known for: Final Destination, Hunter Hunter, Chucky
Sawa has a great resume in horror films, from his early work as Idle hands and Final destination to recent appearances on Child’s play franchise. It’s easy to imagine him taking the next step as an iconic villain, especially after the recent cancellation of Chucky season 4. Same Sawa himself likes the idea of playing the villain following Englund’s retirement, publicly declaring that he would like to follow in Englund’s footsteps.
Sawa knows that it would be difficult to live up to the audience’s expectations and do justice to the character, as it would be for any replacement.
In several tweets, Sawa responded positively to fans who considered him the villain. Despite this enthusiasm, Sawa seems to understand the large shadow left by Englundwhose portrayal of Freddy is now a beloved horror figure, and fans’ apprehension about his involvement. Sawa knows that it would be difficult to live up to the audience’s expectations and do justice to the character, as it would be for any replacement. Although he already has a significant career in horror, a major role as Freddy Krueger could ruin Sawa’s reputation.
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Jackie EarleHaley
Known for: Watchmen, A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), The Union
Unlike other candidates for Freddy’s replacement Haley previously played the unique role of Krueger in the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street in 2010. Although her film is poorly regarded in the franchise, many agree that the film suffered because of the writing and makeup, not because of Haley’s performance. If given a better project and script, Haley will have a chance to redeem herself as Freddy.
Freddy Krueger is Haley’s best-known horror role, with her other film credit being Tim Burton’s. Dark Shadows. His most popular roles are in Bad News Bears franchising in the 1970s and, more recently, in Watchmen. Haley proved she has the acting chops to play Freddy and replace Englund, and many fans believe he deserves a chance at redemptionalthough it’s likely that any reboot would choose a new face to distance itself from 2010’s 14% Rotten Tomatoes flop.
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Kevin Bacon
Known for: Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Stir of Echoes
Kevin Bacon has an impressive horror acting resume. He even had an early role in another classic 80s slasher, Friday the 13th. He later starred in other horror films, including Tremors, Shaking Echoes, and The darkness. He also has experience playing movie villains.ranging from despicable to corrupt, although his roles were never as monstrous as Freddy’s.
Robert Englund has publicly said he would be fine with seeing Kevin Bacon take on his iconic role. Of Bacon, Englund said: “I know he respects the genre and is a great physical actor.“Although Bacon did not respond enthusiastically, he also did not refuse the suggestion, accepting the possibility. He said: “never say Never”, but also admitted that there are few roles that he would directly refuse. With Englund’s blessing, Bacon may be the only Freddy Krueger replacement fans will accept in A Nightmare on Elm Street.