According to Deadline, Nightmare on Elm Street 3 director Chuck Russell told Dread Central’s Development Hell podcast that he believed Jim Carrey could take on the role of the iconic killer. Although Carrey has mostly stuck to comedy roles, there is no doubt that he could do an amazing job as the famed killer. He can contort his face into a few frightening positions even without the use of prosthetics. Chuck Russell firmly believes that Robert Englund will always be the quintessential version of the character, but he also believes that Carrey could find success in the role.
Robert Englund has embodied the role of Freddy Krueger since the very beginning. For this reason, many believe that no one could ever fill the claws the same way. Yet, after working with Carrey on the movie Mask, Chuck Russell believes the actor is more than capable of doing a phenomenal job as the dream killer. Moreover, Carrey would easily provide nuances to the role that simply wouldn’t be possible if it were only covered by a single actor.
Jim Carrey has largely been a comedic actor for his entire career, but hasn’t been afraid to dip his toe into other genres. Nevertheless, every project that Carrey has played a part in has found unimaginable success. There is just something about Carrey’s animated performances that easily draws in an audience. He would likely bring the same energy, albeit with a different spin, to the amazing horror franchise.
There have been over six films featuring Freddy, and each of them is are relatively consistent depiction of the character. Since he has mostly maintained his original design, it wouldn’t be hard for Carrey to make the character his own while honoring Robert Englund in the process. Nevertheless, any news surrounding the actor actually partaking in the role is purely speculation.
At the end of the day, Carrey is very selective about the projects he undertakes at this stage of his career. Jim Carrey only participates in projects he really believes in. That said, it’s unclear if a reboot of The Nightmare on Elm Street would be one of those projects.
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