Recasting A Nightmare On Elm Street In 2020 (Every Main Character)
A Nightmare on Street is one of the longest running horror movie franchises in history, having been active over a period of more than 25 years, and remains popular in 2020, even after a 10-year hiatus. Despite the franchise's longevity, its main characters have rarely been recast, and unlike some other slasher franchises, it has only been rebooted once in more than two decades. It has very rarely strayed from its winning formula, which includes classic recurring main characters Nancy Thompson and Freddy Krueger, played by Heather Langenkamp and Robert Englund. It might be tempting to think that the reason for the franchise's success is that most of its main characters have only ever been played by the actors who originally portrayed them. Given the critical failure of the 2010 reboot starring Jackie Earle Haley and Rooney Mara, this might actually be true.
The difficulty of recasting A Nightmare on Elm Street in 2020 has nonetheless led fans of the slasher series to imagine who they think should be cast as every main character in a second reboot attempt. The casting problems of the first reboot would have to be avoided, namely the casting of relatively uncelebrated actors, somewhat mimicking what the original series had done. This does not mean that casting actors that aren't as widely known is a mistake. Instead, it simply means that going bigger might actually be better in this case. While it is nearly impossible to reproduce the results of the original movies, especially in terms of recasting Freddy, an injection of high-profile talent might be what the dream doctor ordered, providing a 2020 reboot with a strong ensemble cast.
There are seven main characters from the original movie that would need to be recast in a 2020 reboot: Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), Glen Lantz (Johnny Depp), Donald Thompson (John Saxon), Marge Thompson (Ronee Blakley), Tina Gray (Amanda Wyss), and Rod Lane (Jsu Garcia). Given the difficulty of recasting A Nightmare on Elm Street in 2020, it would be a mistake to attempt an imitation of the original cast. Instead, the amazing job that each actor did with their character in the original is what a recasting should aspire to reach. Each of the following recast roles is based on what the character needs and why the proposed actor can fulfill that role best.
Tom Hiddleston would be a perfect Freddy Krueger for two main reasons. First of all, he has the right physical stature and presence as well as striking facial features that would come through even under heavy Freddy makeup. Based on his work as Loki in Marvel's Thor movies, he is clearly able to deliver sinister lines in a humorous way. These two elements of Freddy's character are at the core of what makes him tick. He loves to frighten people first with his drastic looks and follow it up with his sick humor.
Suki Waterhouse would be a perfect Nancy Thompson because of her ability to mix it up as both a survivalist heroine, as she did playing Arlen in The Bad Batch, and a relatively squeamish young woman who is nevertheless willing to fight, as she did playing Sarah in Assassination Nation. Nancy's character needs both of these qualities, because she is certainly scared of Freddy but is also able to summon the courage to fight him and win (temporarily).
Ezra Miller would be a perfect Glen Lantz, Nancy's boyfriend, because of his delicate features and slight build as well as his ability to project a sense of feminine confidence as he did in Perks of Being a Wallflower. These qualities are essential to Glen as he is Nancy's main line of support, but is too meek himself to overcome Freddy in any meaningful way. Miller's other work in the Fantastic Beasts series and in We Need to Talk About Kevin demonstrate that he can relate to the darker side of A Nightmare on Elm Street's story, despite Glen's character being a source of good rather than evil.
Sam Worthington would be a perfect Donald Thompson because he can play serious and incredulous characters, which is exactly what Donald Thompson is, since he never believes his daughter until it is too late. Worthington's work in Terminator Salvation and Avatar demonstrate that he can portray Donald as the caring, but disbelieving father that he is. In both those movies, he struggles with believing what he sees, but finally comes around after intense experiences, albeit only after the worst has come to pass.
Elizabeth Banks would be the perfect choice for Marge Thompson, whose essential character is a distraught mother who has retreated into alcoholism, denial, and deceit, attempting to protect her daughter in all the wrong ways. Banks' ability to play Marge would draw on the same talents that she displayed in Walk of Shame, Slither, and Brightburn, each of which proves she's got the chops to play the downward spiraling, alcoholic mother of A Nightmare on Elm Street's protagonist.
Cara Delevingne would be a perfect Tina Gray because she has the stunning good looks and physical presence required of the movie's false protagonist. Tina's character is never developed because she is the first one to lose her life to Freddy's nightmares, but she sticks around long enough to suggest she is the movie's main character, similar to Psycho's Marion Crane. Delevingne has the screen presence to pull this off, and her role in Suicide Squad as June Moone, aka the Enchantress, shows that she can also tap into the darkness and fear that is associated with Tina's character.
Ansel Elgort would be a perfect Rod Lane because of his tall stature, dark features, and his ability to play an emotionally troubled, but fun-loving outsider, as he did in Baby Driver. Rod's character is originally blamed for Freddy's murder of Tina and requires an actor who can express Rod's struggle with unjust torment not only at the blade-gloved hand of Freddy, but also at the hands of local cop and Nancy's father, Donald. Elgort's experience in the Divergent film series is a testament to his talent for doing stellar work with fantastic themes.
Recasting any iconic movie is bound to face various missteps and pitfalls, which may be why many horror movie franchises have often taken extended breaks from producing remakes and reboots. To date, there is no forthcoming new entry into the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, but when the time comes, fans would hope that a recasting takes some risks and avoids the mistakes of the past.