The Best Horror Filmmaker Today Wants To Make A Nightmare On Elm Street Movie And He’s Even Got A Story Ready
Mike Flanagan wants to direct a Nightmare on Elm Street movie and says he has a story for it.
Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flanagan says he would love to make a brand new movie inspired by Nightmare on Elm Street. Speaking on the Script Apart podcast, the renowned filmmaker said he already has a story in mind for the long-running horror franchise. “I have a whole take for it that I worked out a couple of years ago,” he said. The only problem is he doesn’t know where to send his pitch due to copyright legal issues.
“That title is so fraught that no one knows who controls it,” Flanagan explained. When he told his agents he’d like to explore a Nightmare on Elm Street project, they also had no idea who to contact. “It’s like nobody knows what to do but one of these days, perhaps,” he continued, adding that the project has been on his list forever.
A Nightmare on Elm Street movie by Mike Flanagan definitely has potential since the director is an expert at retelling classic horror tales. He adapted Shirley Jackson’s 1959 gothic horror novel, The Haunting of Hill House for Netflix. He also directed a film version of Stephen King’s thriller fantasy novel Doctor Sleep in 2019.
His other credits include Oculus, Hush, Before I Wake, Gerald’s Game, and Midnight Mass. The director’s small screen works also include The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Midnight Club. Additionally, Flanagan lent his talents to The Fall of the House of Usher. The horror miniseries is based on Edgar Alan Poe’s short story of the same name, Collider reports.
Flanagan’s interest in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise also reiterates its dormant status. There hasn’t been a new installment since the 2010 reboot of the same name, which saw Jackie Earle Haley replace Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. Neither actor has expressed an interest in reprising the role.
In 2017, Englund said he hoped the story would continue without him and suggested that Kevin Bacon should be cast as Krueger in a future Nightmare on Elm Street movie. Following his comments, Kevin Bacon hinted to ScreenRant at the possibility of taking up the mantle. “There are very few things that I go, ‘Nah, nah.’ You just never know,” he told the publication.
Written and directed by Wes Craven, Nightmare on Elm Street was released in 1984. The story follows a group of teenagers who are hunted in their dreams by a disfigured child murderer named Freddy Krueger. But the encounters aren’t just nightmares, as they also die in the real world. After investigating her friends’ deaths, Nancy suspects that a dark secret may be the key to solving the mystery.
The film received glowing reviews from critics and earned $57 million at the global box office. Since then, Nightmare on Elm Street cemented its place as one of the greatest horror films ever made. Its success also led to six sequels, a television series, and a crossover with Friday the 13th. Hopefully, Mike Flanagan will get a chance to breathe new life into the popular franchise soon.
