It has been 22 years since Robert Englund donned the fedora and bladed gloves to play Freddy Krueger in Freddy vs. Jason (2003). While a return to any live-action productions seems improbable for the 78-year-old actor, Englund hinted he'd be interested in returning in an animated Nightmare on Elm Street project.
Animated nightmares and a re-animated franchise
In a recent Fangoria interview, Robert Englund noted he'd consider reprising the role in an R-rated animated film. Englund had made similar mentions in other venues, such as Collider. Englund feels he has more to give to the role, but only in a voice-over capacity. He shows no bitterness about any past or future attempts to cast someone else as a live-action Freddy, since Englund admits his age precludes him from taking on such an incredibly physical role that requires stunts. However, voicing a cartoon version of Freddy may be the perfect strategy for giving the "real" Freddy a new role.
Adult-oriented animation is popular with niche audiences, and the wide-open distribution options on streaming and pay-per-view platforms could make an animated Elm Street film financially viable. Englund once suggested an animated prequel as a project, which could draw old fans to check of a new entry in the series. For now, fans must feel content with the Ultra-4K HD Elm Street releases, but hardcore fans likely clamor for more.
Robert Englund's areer in voiceover work
Although his advanced age precludes Englund from taking on physically challenging roles, that does not mean the iconic horror star drifted off to retirement. Englund continues to accept acting gigs, including voiceover work. Lending his voice to various projects likely planted the seed in the former Freddy's mind to express interest in an Elm Street animated project. Englund is hardly new to voiceovers, as he ironically debuted a cartoon version of Freddy in 1998 on an episode of The Simpsons. He also brought his talents to animated superhero television series, voicing The Riddler and The Vulture in The Batman (2004-2008) and The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-2009), respectively. Englund also performed voice work for feature-length and video game projects. The upcoming Pinocchio: Unstrung horror reflects his most recent animated film experience that may have nudged Englund to muse openly about an Elm Street film.
On October 31, 2025, Robert Englund will receive one of the industry's greatest honors—a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The media buzz over the accolade elevates the actor's profile during the Halloween 2025 season. Perhaps that buzz will help boost Englund's opportunities in voiceover work, such as John Carpenter’s executive producer role in a new anthology series, not long after his Walk of Fame star announcement.