A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors director Chuck Russell thinks Jim Carrey could take on the role of ghostly child killer Freddy Krueger – but only if there was a "bold new direction" for the horror franchise.
"Jim, in my opinion, could almost do anything if he put his heart into it," Russell told Dread Central. "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."
"I still think Robert, for me, is the only Freddy," he added. "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."
Russell and Carrey previously worked together on The Mask, in which Carrey plays timid, down-on-his-luck bank employee Stanley, who finds an enchanted mask that transforms him into a green-faced trickster.
Englund's last outing as Krueger was in 2003's Freddy vs. Jason, which saw a crossover between the Elm Street antagonist and Friday the 13th villain Jason Vorhees. Jackie Earle Haley took over the role for the 2010 remake of Wes Craven's original film, and there hasn't been a franchise installment since.
"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," Englund said recently about his future potential replacement. "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."
For more, check out our guide to the best upcoming horror movies to add to your watchlist.
