A Nightmare on Elm Street: Sung Kang says playing Freddy Krueger is on his bucket list

Sung Kang, who is best known for playing the fan favorite role of Han in the Fast and Furious franchise, has made his feature directorial debut with the ’90s-set creature feature Shaky Shivers, which is set to receive a one-night theatrical release from Cinedigm and Fathom Events on September 21st (tickets are available at THIS LINK.) The film is said to “capture the spirit of the ’80s classics that Kang grew up adoring” – and during an interview with Collider, Kang revealed there’s an ’80s horror icon that would he would really like to play: Freddy Krueger!

Reminiscing about childhood trips to the video store, Kang said horror movies of the era – the practical effects, the artwork, the visuals – are part of why he came to appreciate film in general. “I definitely appreciated and loved films like An American Werewolf in London, Gremlins, even Freddy Krueger. Jason was one of the characters that I grew up with. They’re part of my video store filmography, right?” Then he revealed his Freddy aspirations: “I’d love to play Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street. That character was just so fun. Having experience with prosthetic makeup and sitting in the chair for four hours like I did in the Obi-Wan series in Star Wars, that’s the only part that I kind of wonder if I have the stamina to sit in the makeup chair for months. But that character was so fun! That sweater, to this day, is so iconic, and the knife fingers. That’d be on the bucket list for sure.“

Devon Sawa and Kevin Bacon have both previously said they’d be interested in replacing Robert Englund (and Jackie Earle Haley) in the role of Freddy Krueger as well. Sadly, the Elm Street franchise seems to be trapped in limbo at the moment. It was in September of 2019 that we heard Wes Craven’s estate had secured the rights to the Elm Street franchise. In November of that year, it was said that they were actively taking pitches. But apparently the rights issue isn’t as clear-cut as it appeared to be. Mike Flanagan has let it be known that he has an idea for a new movie in mind, but his agent can’t figure out who to have him pitch it to. Elijah Wood and his SpectreVision producing partner Daniel Noah have said they want to make an Elm Street movie and have “been in touch with the rights holders many times”, but that hasn’t gone anywhere. Blumhouse founder Jason Blum has said he’s interested in going to Elm Street. Guy Busick, co-writer of Scream 2022 and Scream VI, wants to write Elm Street and Friday the 13th movies… But there’s no sign of a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie going forward.

As for Sung Kang’s Shaky Shivers, that movie takes viewers on a hilarious and nostalgic journey to an abandoned camp where two young women, played by Brooke Markham (In the Dark) and VyVy Nguyen (The Sympathizer), stumble upon a book of magical spells. Surrounded by classic monsters and drawing inspiration from 80’s horror films, Karen and Lucy find themselves facing a series of supernatural occurrences after a fateful encounter with an old woman. As zombies, werewolves, and Bigfoot wreak havoc, the duo must navigate a wild night, armed with an unfamiliar spell book, to restore order before their lives unravel completely…

What do you think of the idea of Sung Kang playing Freddy Krueger? Let us know by leaving a comment below.