Freddy's dead? Never.
The House That Freddy Built (a.k.a. New Line Cinema) is reportedly remaking the Wes Craven classic “A Nightmare on Elm Street” — for a second time — after the Samuel Bayer-directed update failed to connect with audiences a few years ago. That film, which saw Jackie Earl Haley slipping on the razor-sharp claw and fedora hat formerly occupied by Robert Englund, grossed over $115 million worldwide but suffered from withering reviews and — worst of all — fan indifference.
Silver lining: Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes, which produced the 2010 remake, doesn't appear to be involved this time around (if the report indeed turns out to be true/accurate). And screenwriter David Leslie Johnson (“Orphan,” “The Walking Dead”) seems like a reasonable (if not particularly inspired) choice to pen the script.
But is this necessary? Absolutely not! Is it even welcome? Not as far as I'm concerned. The Wes Craven original still holds up relatively well (particularly the first half hour or so), and as noted by Bloody-Disgusting, it's nearly impossible at this point to replace Robert Englund, whose performance as the dream killer over a total of eight films remains one of the most iconic in horror-movie history. Jackie Earl Haley, who early on seemed like a no-brainer to replace Englund in the 2010 remake, simply failed to connect in the same way as his predecessor (surely not 100% his fault).
But good on New Line for (allegedly) keeping Bay out of it this time. I know it's not original to bash him at this point, but he and the folks over at Platinum Dunes really brought nothing worthwhile to the franchise (or the genre) the last time they were involved.