Having recently made his way back to the horror genre, Kevin Bacon has responded to Robert Englund's Freddy Krueger casting idea for a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie. Englund portrayed Krueger in the original Nightmare on Elm Street movies, which saw the former-child killer haunting the dreams of teenagers in Springwood, Ohio in order to get revenge against the vengeful parents of his victims. Wes Craven created the iconic slasher horror franchise, having written and directed the 1984 original, co-writing the 1987 threequel A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and writing and directing 1994's New Nightmare.
Though critical reception has varied throughout, the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise quickly became one of the most iconic in the horror genre after its 1984 launch, propelling Freddy Krueger to be one of the most iconic slashers. WIth the later films seeing poor reviews and lower box office returns, it briefly went on a hiatus, coming back for the Friday the 13th crossover movie, Freddy vs. Jason, and the 2010 remake starring Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy, which saw a largely negative response. With the rights now back with Craven's estate, multiple new Nightmare on Elm Street projects are in talks and one actor is sharing his thoughts on potentially joining the franchise.
While speaking exclusively with Screen Rant to discuss the action-thriller One Way, Kevin Bacon shared his thoughts on Robert Englund's Freddy Krueger casting idea. The actor teased that he would "never say never" to the prospect of taking on the mantle of the Nightmare on Elm Street villain and that one never knows what could come up. See what Bacon said below:
Never say never. I mean, I say, "Never say never," but I really do follow that. There's very few things that I go, "Nah, nah." You just never know.
Though Bacon's reaction to Englund's Freddy Krueger casting idea may seem fairly vague, his willingness to take over the mantle of the Nightmare on Elm Street antagonist is sure to prove an interesting prospect for fans of both the franchise and actor. Long before he would earn his first Golden Globe nomination for The River Wild, Bacon began building his filmography appearing in the original Friday the 13th as doomed Camp Crystal Lake counselor Jack Burrell, who was memorably skewered through his bed with a fire poker. Bacon has made infrequent appearances in the horror genre in the years since, including most recently appearing in the Blumhouse-produced You Should Have Left and They/Them, becoming one of the more cult favorite actors for the genre.
With his prior history with Jason Voorhees, it would make for a unique concept to see Kevin Bacon become the next Freddy Krueger for a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie. That being said, fans of the franchise are sure to remain hopeful to see Robert Englund don the razor blade gloves one more time before officially handing them off to another actor. Until new details arrive for the next film, audiences can revisit nearly all of the original Nightmare on Elm Street movies streaming on HBO Max now, save for A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.