'Elm Street' Baddie - Freddy Krueger
Wes Craven, who pulled a Three Stooges and was himself sold short with his script for 1984's The Nightmare on Elm Street, said on the upcoming remake, "I might just pretend it's not there." Mr. Craven isn't pulling a James Cameron and refusing to give his "blessing" for the new Nightmare, he was merely expressing how Samuel Bayer's upcoming redo "might be too painful" to watch because the beloved director doesn't have any input.
It would be like me not having a say in the Popeye's chicken recipe.
"Nobody's called me or anything - I don't know what the script's like, I don't know who's in it," Craven told Digital Spy. "Frankly, that's painful. It was one of my better ideas and better films, but the fact is that, because I was completely broke [when I sold the script], I completely sold the rights to it." Because of this, Craven, who directed the original Elm Street along with 1994's New Nightmare, has no creative input. However, Craven was in total control, in a producing capacity, on the remake of his first film, The Last House on the Left. "Last House On The Left, it was a matter of after 30 years the rights came back to me and the producer Sean Cunningham," he stated. "We had total control of that project. I have no control over the new Nightmare and no participation."
Say what you will about McG, but during production of Terminator Salvation, the man personally discussed his intentions with The Terminator director James Cameron. That's classy. It may behoove Samuel Bayer to do the same.
But it's not all lamenting feelings and pity parties for the hit horror director. Craven is in post-production of his latest thriller 25/8. "It's more like a psychological thriller than a straight-up horror film," he explained. "It's actually, I think, quite innovative and groundbreaking in the sense that it's a horror film but not really in any sense that they have been in the past. I think that's going to be a revolutionary film. It will either be out late this year or early next year."
The slick new The Nightmare on Elm Street is due out in 2010 while Craven's 25/8 hits theaters this year.
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