A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3 Director Thinks Jim Carrey Could Play Freddy Krueger If the Franchise Went in a "Bold New Direction"
When it comes to Freddy Krueger, most horror fans would agree that no one embodies the dream-stalking killer quite like Robert Englund. But A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors director Chuck Russell has an interesting and unconventional idea of who could take on the role if the series ever went in a new direction… Jim Carrey.
Russell, who teamed up with Carrey on the 1994 classic The Mask, shared his thoughts during an interview with Dread Central, explaining that while Englund remains the definitive Freddy for him, Carrey has the talent to pull it off under the right circumstances.
"Jim, in my opinion, could almost do anything if he put his heart into it. For Jim to do it, we’d have to do something that was another leap in the Elm Street series – a little bit like what Wes did with his very meta New Nightmare.
“I think Jim would only consider it, and I’d only consider harnessing Jim, if there was a bold new direction for Elm Street."
Even with that interesting idea, Russell made it clear that his first choice will always be Englund.
"I still think Robert, for me, is the only Freddy. Were I to be involved in a new Elm Street, A, I’d be delighted, and B, my first goal would be to get Robert involved."
Englund last donned the infamous fedora and bladed glove in Freddy vs. Jason back in 2003, a crossover that pitted the Elm Street icon against Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees. A reboot followed in 2010 with Jackie Earle Haley stepping into the role, but since then, the franchise has been dormant.
Interestingly, Englund himself recently shared his thoughts on who could take over the character, tossing out some unexpected names.
"I think, for the sake of the franchise, they need to find someone like a Doug Jones. Years ago, I heard they were considering Kevin Bacon for Freddy Krueger.
“I was trying to think of someone like that, if he were going to look for a name, like Kevin Bacon. But I think they probably should steer themselves to someone more unknown that doesn’t have to worry about following in my footsteps or anything else, just creating his own conception of the character."
So while the future of A Nightmare on Elm Street remains uncertain, it’s fun to imagine what a twisted, reality-bending version of Freddy played by Jim Carrey could look like.
With Russell’s creative instincts and Carrey’s unhinged energy, that “bold new direction” might be the kind of nightmare some fans wouldn’t want to wake up from.