Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum opens up about his belief that he could be the one to bring Robert Englund back to the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.
Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum says he can bring Robert Englund back to A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Speaking to Screen Rant, Blum was asked about his previous remarks regarding his desire to pick up the rights to the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. When asked if he thought he could convince Englund to return to the iconic role of Freddy Krueger, Blum answered, “I could make him come back. I can get anyone back. Ellen Burstyn was 87, and I got her back in The Exorcist.” In regards to the actor’s age, Blum simply said, “Yeah, 75– he’s young!”
Englund first appeared as the iconic slasher in 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. Written and directed by horror legend Wes Craven, the film saw teenager Nancy Thompson and her friends terrorized by the dream-walking spirit of deceased serial killer Freddy Krueger. The first film was followed by five direct sequels, a television series, and the 1994 pseudo-spinoff Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. Englund reprised his role for each of these subsequent entries into the franchise, as well as 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason, which saw the series cross over with the Friday the 13th franchise. The actor did not return for the 2010 reboot, which instead starred Jackie Earl Haley in Englund’s former role.
Englund’s most recent performance as Victor Creel in Season 4 of Stranger Things has been lauded by audiences. Series co-creator Matt Duffer previously commented on how Englund landed the role of Creel. “The fact that he came to us in a season that’s so deeply inspired by the Nightmare series and by his performance, especially in those movies, it felt like fate,” Duffer said. “It felt like, ‘okay, this is meant to be.'”
Co-creator Ross Duffer also commented on the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise’s influence on the series and Stranger Things Season 4’s objectively darker tone. He explained, “When we pitched it to Netflix all those years ago, we pitched it as the kids are… The Goonies in E.T. That’s their storyline. And the adults are in Jaws and Close Encounters and then the teens are in Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween.” He continued, “But this year, we don’t have the kids. We can’t do The Goonies anymore. And so, suddenly, we’re leaning much harder into that horror movie territory that we love. It was fun to make that change.”
Executive producer Shawn Levy has also discussed the initial concerns regarding Season 4’s abrupt shift into horror. “I was occasionally nervous that the show was going so dark, it would be off-putting to the younger viewers that have flocked to our show,” Levy said. “When we made Season 1, we thought this was a 13-and-over kind of viewing experience.” He added, “What we now know is that kids as young as 9 and 10 are watching Stranger Things, and I knew that this season would be scary as shit for some of those viewers.”
Stranger Things Season 4 Volume I is currently streaming on Netflix. Volume II premieres on July 1.
Source: Screen Rant
John Dodge has been an avid consumer of comic books and nerd culture for as long as he can remember. An expert on competitive gaming and obscure kids shows from the 80’s and 90’s, John has far too many opinions about Beetleborgs for someone in their thirties. You can find him occasionally discussing them over on Twitter at @JohnJDodge.
