Fast X Star Taking Over As Freddy Krueger?
Fast X‘s Sung Kang would like to carry on the mantle of Freddy Krueger in future installments of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, according to a recent write-up in Syfy. The esteemed actor joined the Fast and Furious series nearly two full decades ago as Han Lue in 2006’s The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and has continued to be a mainstay of the action-packed franchise ever since. The star has recently transitioned into his first foray into the horror genre, causing fans to rally behind his dream of portraying Freddy Krueger on the big screen.
Sung Kang, known for playing Han in the Fast and Furious series, admits he’d love to play Freddy Kreuger.
Sung Kang’s first horror film, Shaky Shivers, is set to premiere on September 21 and serves as the star’s first director credit for a feature film. The film is set to be a horror-comedy surrounding a pair of young women who find themselves trapped in a land of classic movie monsters, in an apparent homage to the horror films of the 1980s. For Sung Kang, this film is also meant to be a jumping-off point to realize his Freddy Krueger dreams.
During a recent interview, Sung Kang specifically stated that he would love to portray Freddy Krueger, bringing his own spin to the classic slasher villain if the franchise reboots following 2010’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. Given Hollywood’s well-known propensity for rebooting classic franchises, this prospect almost seems inevitable, though it has been over 13 years since the last film’s release with no word of a reboot at this time.
In addition to Sung Kang simply being a fan of Freddy Krueger’s on-screen appearances, he also has a functional idea of how the character is brought to life behind the scenes, especially with his newfound perspective as a director.
The famed film antagonist was first created by iconic American filmmaker Wes Craven in 1984 and has haunted the nightmares of film fans ever since. The character has been homaged or parodied in a number of well-known pop culture staples, including The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park, Robot Chicken, and even Rick and Morty. Sung Kang likely grew up enamored with Freddy Krueger as a character and remains confident that he could bring a new twist to the character if given the chance.
In addition to Sung Kang simply being a fan of Freddy Krueger’s on-screen appearances, he also has a functional idea of how the character is brought to life behind the scenes, especially with his newfound perspective as a director. When discussing his love for the burn-scarred killer, Kang explained that he has a great deal of experience working with prosthetic makeup and practical effects like those utilized to craft the horrifying visage of Freddy Krueger.
It’s been 13 years since the last Nightmare on Elm Street, meaning it’s time for Hollywood to reboot it again, so why not give Sung Kang a chance?
Furthermore, Kang has experience spending hours getting his makeup applied for acting roles, such as his recent performance as the Fifth Brother in Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi mini-series.
While there are currently no known talks to reboot the classic Nightmare on Elm St. franchise, Sung Kang will surely be on the shortlist to star as Freddy Krueger if the occasion arises. The Fast X star is not the only prolific Hollywood performer to have thrown his hat in the ring in hopes of a casting call, but he would surely bring a youthful exuberance to the famed 80s iconoclast that few other working actors could.
