Fast and Furious Star Reveals the Horror Icon They Want to Play

After becoming a fan-favorite fixture of the Fast and Furious franchise, actor Sung Kang is about to make his feature-film directing debut with the horror-comedy Shaky Shivers, which allows him to embrace his love of horror movies. Looking to the future and focusing on his love of the genre, when asked by Collider about a horror icon he would like to play, Kang confirmed he’d be interested in bringing a new take on Freddy Krueger to life for a new A Nightmare on Elm Street. The actor did express apprehension, however, about whether he’d be able to endure the process of undergoing the necessary makeup effects to transform himself into the villain.

“I’d love to play Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street. That character was just so fun,” Kang revealed to the outlet. “Having experience with prosthetic makeup and sitting in the chair for four hours like I did in the [Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi] 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.”

Throughout the history of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Freddy Krueger was played by Robert Englund, with the one exception being the 2010 reboot in which Krueger was played by Jackie Earle Haley. With that reboot being a critical and financial disappointment, no official plans have emerged since its release about a new entry into the series.

Unlike the Friday the 13th franchise, which has stagnated largely due to behind-the-scenes legal battles, A Nightmare on Elm Street has the potential to be revived at some point in the future once a promising approach to the concept is developed. The rights to the franchise are held by the Wes Craven estate, the filmmaker who created the series, though no official updates on a new chapter into the franchise have emerged in years. 

Englund himself has confirmed that he’s done with the role, due to the physical requirements of the figure, which leaves the door open for someone like Kang or another performer to inherit the mantle of Krueger.

Stay tuned for updates on the possible future of Freddy Krueger. Kang’s Shaky Shivers will screen in theaters on Thursday, September 21st.

Would you like to see the actor take on the role? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!