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New Nightmare on Elm Street needs a director—and a new Freddy!
Platinum Dunes producing partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form told SCI FI Wire that their upcoming reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street is moving fast into production, expected to commence in about 12 weeks in Chicago, and that they are currently looking for a director, though likely not one with whom they've worked before.
The screenplay by Wesley Strick has been rewritten by Eric Heisserer (whose Inhuman is in development), and the story will track Wes Craven's 1984 original. "It's a little bit of the same story, but, you know, we always end up going off into our own kind of weird world, and this will be the same," Fuller said in an interview on Saturday in Beverly Hills, Calif., where he was promoting Friday the 13th.
Fuller added: "[Heisserer's] done a fantastic job. And we're out to directors, and hopefully we land our director in the next week or so."
The producers say they are seeking a director who is a visual stylist and likely not someone the duo have worked with before on such reboot films as The Hitcher or the upcoming Friday the 13th.
As for casting, the duo said that the original Freddy Krueger, Robert Englund, has said he doesn't want to be in the movie, but that other high-level actors have been calling about playing the iconic character with the razor-fingered gloves.
"We have received some very encouraging incoming calls for the role of Freddy," Fuller said. "I mean, real, real high-level actors," both American and British. "I think we'll be able to land a real thespian in that role," he added.
An A-list actor?
"It's not a requirement," Form said. "It's just nice that we have interest at that level."
By Mandy at 7:59 PM ON 01/31/09
Oh, God! Friday the thirteenth, Children of the Corn, (Soon) Child's play, The thing, Halloween...
What's with all these horror remakes? As a fan of good Gothic horror why are there no original ideas anymore? Leave the classics alone!
By malachimanson at 8:03 PM ON 01/31/09
Wait The Thing was the original wait wait no it wasn't it was a Remake to begin with.
I do agree though Hollywood is out of ideas. Thus why they are just picking movies that are less then 30 years old.
By Mandy at 10:16 PM ON 01/31/09
They're remaking The Thing yet again.
By Kevin J at 1:38 AM ON 02/01/09
Let's face it, Hollywood would rather put their money behind a well known name than take a chance on a new idea. Just wait, we'll see a remake of "Knocked Up" in 2011. Just wait.
By Fred at 3:02 AM ON 02/01/09
I know an excellent actor for the part of Freddy Krueger. His name is Robert Englund and he already played this role through most of the 1980s. There is no shortage of good stories out there, Hollywood writers just need to go look for them. Legends, myths, folktales, and news headlines are a good place to start. Wes Craven got his idea from a news story about immigrants dying in their sleep.
By mykl at 10:16 AM ON 02/01/09
I am leery of these A List actors calling, I am sure the script is not that great…Â
What I know of directing is what I have learned on my own and reading books and watching what is out there and still I know I would be way better than anyone they get to film this. I think I may just take a chance and say: Hey I can't do any worse!
By dragonhung at 1:04 PM ON 02/01/09
"reboot films" has become it's own category? And these producers have done it before? Do these folk - whose talent is obviously lacking while pocketbooks and connections are not - think this will make them respectable? No, it makes them parasites, scrapping a living off the talent and ideas of others that have come before them. As mentioned in other posts, there is enough material that has been generated by the human race that even an immortal producer couldn't get through it all. Give us something new, something interesting pulled out of history, or just move on to some other line of work.
And to the argument of "you haven't seen it yet, how can you judge". If I had to eat the same meal every day, with slight variations, I would be bored silly in no time.
By Haze at 1:30 PM ON 02/01/09
SAD. Just plain sad.
By Mandy at 2:18 PM ON 02/01/09
The last three pages of Scifiwire have roughly five stories about remakes. It's not Scifiwire's fault. It actually is on topic (unlike that Charlies Angels story) but enough is enough! They need to stop making these things.
Nightmare on Elm Street's original cast were all unknowns, including a young Johnny Depp. Part of the horror film genre is you get some unknowns so you don't fall out of the story. Not only does it save money for effects and writing talent but also you don't get distracted by the big stars. Sometimes these no-names are losy and sometimes it sprouts long and lasting careers. Whatever happened to taking risks.
Remakes of the last ten years:
Planet of the Apes
Psycho
House on Haunted hill
The Haunting
House of wax
Halloween
Friday the 13th (Coming soon)
Children of the Corn (Coming soon)
Child's play (pre-production I think)
and now Nightmare on Elmstreet.
By buffy at 12:19 AM ON 02/02/09
Sorry, No Robert Englund, means NO Freddy Kreuger.
How could you possibly cast someone else to play him?
He owns that character.
There is no way in hell I would bother watching it without him.
It would be like a milkshake without the milk, a cheeseburger without the cheese, a chocolate bar without the chocolate, a .....well you get the picture! LOL
By keb at 1:32 AM ON 02/02/09
I always get hesitant when they remake movies but I would prefer to go see a remake on something I liked as opposed to some of the newer horror movies out there. Some of the remakes on Dracula and Frankenstein were pretty cool.
By bradsbutt at 6:52 AM ON 02/03/09
I grew up with all of these films and I love them. I rewatch all of them frequently and MANY of them have not stood the test of time. Most of these series have been run into the ground to the point where they resemble bad made for tv movies in terms of quality and acting. I like the reboots.1) It updates the visual style, 2) many of them have given more background history on the killers, 3) it gets a new generation enjoying and probably renting the old ones. people bitch about the rob zombie remake but did you see the last halloween movie? it sucked. It is nice to see a different take on these stories. If they had continued would jason 11 have been anygood. no ...it would have been worse than jason x. these series haven't been getting better. A reboot is just fine I am certain the friday13th will be better than jason take manhattan. think about it that way. also this isn't fitzgerald or dickens they are rewriting. The source material was inventive and I have a serious sense of nostalgia for them but they weren't perfect films.
By dx61636361 at 8:56 AM ON 02/13/09
As a person who grew up watching the original makes of these "reboot" movies, I think they need to leave them alone. The cheesy effects and bad acting (Robert Englund not included) are what makes these movies great. The only thing that even resembled Halloween in the reboot was the mask and a few of the names. Would have been a good movie if it wasnt trying to be Halloween. As for Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, I think they should back off. Jason never even dies for good in the original sequels, how can you have a new one. And Nightmare without Robert Englund will just be a man who stood to close to the stove with his knives. there is only one Freddy. Thank you Mr. Englund.
By bigmick at 4:06 AM ON 02/15/09
The only other actor that i think could play freddy would be KEVIN BACON he was badass in sleepers,
By WHAT !! at 5:00 AM ON 03/20/09
WTF!! if there is no robert englund then there is no point of making a remake and they need a new director!! then use the oridginal ones there the actual makers of it they deserve the role of it there the only ones who can do it !!
By H.Spectre at 2:18 PM ON 03/21/09
We've already seen robert englund do the freddy bit to death! Now, if they get billy bob thornton to do it, that would be worth seeing.
By buddhak0n at 1:57 AM ON 09/28/09
I can write an "original" screenplay but then Hollywood would have to pay me when they already have paid for the all the "rights" and know that they can come out ahed because of their higher profit margin. It's not a lack of creative thinking. It's an imposition of fascist accounting.
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buddhak0n:
I can write an "original" screenplay but then Hollywood would have to pay me when they already have paid for the al...More »