Casting Freddy for a New Generation

Replacing Robert Englund is probably the toughest recast job in horror. The character needs wit, swagger, physicality, and just enough sleaze to make you laugh right before he makes your skin crawl. These are the three actors I think could actually pull it off.

For as amazing as Michael, Jason, Leatherface, and all our favorite horror icons have been throughout the years, there has always been one thing slightly different about each of them.

There is a clear-cut reason for that.

They have all been played by multiple different actors across multiple different movies.

Granted, we have our James Jude Courtneys and our Kane Hodders, but look around and you will still find handfuls of Michaels, fistfuls of Jasons, a boatload of Leatherfaces, and on and on.

When it comes to one of the other most prolific movie slashers of all time, Freddy Krueger, that simply is not the case.

Freddy is basically synonymous with Robert Englund.

Of course Jackie Earle Haley played him once, and honestly, he was not bad. The movie itself was extremely forgettable, though, and through no fault of his own, so was Jackie’s version of Freddy.

I will not sit here and say it does not take much to play those other icons simply because they are masked and do not speak.

No. Not at all.

Movement, nuance, breathing, even the slightest head movement can make a character go from goofy to terrifying.

Look at what David Howard Thornton has done with Art the Clown without saying a word.

But Freddy is different.

To even get near the shoes Robert Englund left behind, you need more than makeup and a striped sweater.

You need an incredibly cocky, dark, witty personality. You need the sly body movements. You need the physicality. That slow strut down a hallway. That casual drag of the glove blades across a steel railing. That sense that Freddy is enjoying himself before you even realize you are in danger.

So who on Earth would actually want to attempt this?

I have no idea whether any of these guys would want the job.

These are simply the actors I think could make it brilliant.

Mark Duplass

When casting a new Freddy Krueger, there are always the proverbial names that get tossed out immediately. Kevin Bacon gets brought up basically every single time the conversation happens.

But there are other things you have to look for when casting such an eccentrically demonic character.

Whoever replaces, or at least attempts to fill in for, Robert Englund needs more than horror credibility.

He needs comedic chops.

Which brings me to my first choice: Mark Duplass.

Duplass has done incredible, absolutely incredible, things with the Creep franchise.

And let’s all be 100% honest here: which one of our major slasher icons is the biggest creep?

Tongues through telephones. A glove coming up through bathtub water. Invading dreams. Getting way too close. Freddy Krueger is the ultimate creep.

Duplass has already proven that he can be deeply unsettling while still maintaining that weird glimmer of humor, awkwardness, and lightness inside the performance.

That matters.

Freddy should be scary, obviously, but he should also look like he is having the time of his life making you uncomfortable.

Duplass understands that kind of energy better than most actors working today.

Granted, he may be slightly older than what a studio would want if they were trying to start another ten-film franchise. But for a three-movie arc? Absolutely.

Duplass would bring the fire. He understands horror. He understands dark atmosphere. And frankly, he understands how to make an audience uncomfortable better than most.

Just watch the two Creep movies. Mark Duplass should absolutely get a look.

Paul Walter Hauser

As far as this next pick goes, I think it is damn near perfect.

There is one caveat, and that is physical stature.

Paul Walter Hauser would make an absolutely incredible Freddy Krueger.

If you look at the body of work, the case becomes pretty easy to make.

Hauser has already played a serial killer exceptionally well in Black Bird. He was wildly creepy, deeply disturbing, and the performance was received tremendously by both fans and critics.

That checks one box immediately.

But Freddy cannot just be disturbing. He needs that little comedic tinge. That wicked sense of humor. That quickness.

And guess what? Hauser excels at comedy.

His quick wit in Resident Evil and his scene-stealing ability in I, Tonya make that case pretty clearly. He can be sleazy. He can be dark. He can be funny. And when he needs to lock in and deliver a genuinely serious performance, he can do that too.

Just watch Richard Jewell. Hauser has shown across comedy, drama, and darker material that he has a genuinely broad range.

The only obvious question is physicality.

Hauser is naturally a bigger guy, and Freddy has traditionally had a leaner, almost wiry presence.

But if he wanted the role badly enough, I have very little doubt he could adjust for it.

And honestly, performance matters far more than having the exact same silhouette as Robert Englund.

If Paul Walter Hauser is willing to commit to the makeup chair, the movement, the voice, and the physical transformation required, he might be the best overall option for a new Freddy Krueger.

Nicholas Hoult

Finally, if Nicholas Hoult were willing to don the Freddy makeup and take the role, I think it could work out excellently.

He has that perfect little smug charm to pull Freddy off in a tremendous way.

Hoult is also, generally speaking, an extremely good actor.

He has the right kind of build for Freddy, but more importantly, he has the ability to get weird when a role calls for it.

Crazy enough, his performance in The Menu gave me some of the strongest Freddy vibes.

He is not sinister or nasty in the customary way in that movie, but his odd behavior and fanaticism are played perfectly.

That kind of fanaticism could easily translate into a slasher becoming obsessed with one particular protagonist.

And unlike some older options, Hoult is young enough to carry an entire franchise as the new Freddy Krueger.

That matters if the goal is not simply one movie, but a real resurrection of the character.

Final Thoughts

Replacing Robert Englund is not an easy feat.

As a matter of fact, it may be the hardest horror icon to recast.

The thing everyone needs to understand is that some huge name automatically being dropped into the role, Kevin Bacon, Lee Pace, whoever, does not necessarily make the most sense.

This is an outside-the-box role.

Freddy cannot feel like an actor wearing Freddy Krueger makeup.

When you see Freddy Krueger, you need to see Freddy Krueger.

That is the entire challenge.

A giant star is not always the best pick.

Sometimes the better choice is the actor who understands how to be funny, disturbing, disgusting, theatrical, charismatic, and genuinely frightening all at the same time.

Robert Englund made that combination look effortless.

Whoever comes next has one hell of a glove to fill.
— The Monitor