Mike Flanagan on Directing A Nightmare on Elm Street: ‘A Guy Can Dream’

Acclaimed writer/director Mike Flanagan is known for his work on a number of different projects, including his adaptations of the Stephen King novelsDoctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game, as well as his take on classic literature by way of Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher, The Haunting of Hill House, and The Haunting of Bly Manor. Though the horror auteur has been tapped to helm the next film in The Exorcist series for Blumhouse, there’s one franchise he recently noted would be a “dream” to work on: A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) recently, Flanagan shared a piece of fan art that reimagines A Nightmare on Elm Street and its villain, Freddy Krueger, in the style of a Flanagan-inspired poster akin to his previous Netflix projects. Atop the ghoulish depiction of Krueger it reads “From Mike Flanagan, Creator of Midnight Mass,” while at the bottom it says “Coming Soon.” It is, of course, just fantasy at this point, but Mike Flanagan did share the artwork, adding his own caption that states “A guy can dream…”

Fans quickly rallied around the mythical project, saying that Flanagan would be the perfect person to helm A Nightmare on Elm Street, which hasn’t seen a new entry in the franchise since the universally panned 2010 reboot that starred Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger. Check out some of the responses to Mike Flanagan’s fantasy booking as the director of A Nightmare on Elm Street below.

• @Lichrowling – I need this Mike…in my veins..rub it into my gums and eyes
• @criveraauthor – We can all dream together. Might come true.
• @bravenewboi – Do whatever you can to make this happen!
• @brunnerslife – How do I start a crowd funding for this??? I’d love for you to work your magic on this franchise.
• @NewAgeSpider – Please God make this happen. A Netflix limited series with Robert Englund!

What Is the Future of A Nightmare on Elm Street?

Created by the late Wes Craven, A Nightmare on Elm Street first hit theaters on November 9, 1984, taking in $57 million dollars against a budget of just $1.1 million. Its success would spawn an entire franchise, with eight more entries over the years, including the 2010 reboot, and the 2003 crossover film, Freddy vs. Jason. A television series, Freddy’s Nightmares, ran from 1988 to 1990, and to this day fans can still get their hands on a plethora of merchandise that features the burnt face of Freddy Kruger, who was originally portrayed by Robert Englund.

Following the disastrous 2010 film, future projects in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise have gone undeveloped. In 2015, it was said that Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema were developing a sequel to the reboot with Orphan scribe David Leslie Johnson penning the script, but by the following year, the project was said to be stuck in one of Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell. In 2018, Johnson claimed that the project was still in development, but that “The Conjuring universe is sort of first and foremost on New Line Cinema’s horror burner.”

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In 2019, the rights to A Nightmare on Elm Street reverted back to the estate of Wes Craven, who passed away in 2015, and it’s been reported that pitches have been received for both feature films, and a television series for Max, all of which envision Robert Englund reprising his role of Freddy Kruger, who in the past has said he’d like to see Kevin Bacon play the part. However, while Englund, now 77, had at one point expressed interest in reprising the role himself, even going so far as to portray Freddy once more in a 2018 episode of the ABC sitcom, The Goldbergs, he’s since stated that he’s done with Freddy due to a number of factors, including his age and health issues.

For now, A Nightmare on Elm Street remains in limbo, but as Mike Flanagan is set to revive The Exorcist for Blumhouse, perhaps his dreams can come true one day, and he can breathe new life into one of the horror genre’s most beloved series.