http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0550160/
:eek: Holy shit! I can totally see it. Billy Bob Thornton is one creepy motherfucker.
“Mmmm some folks call it a finger blade, I call it a Kaiser blade, mmm, I’m your boyfriend now, I reckon.”
If you’re going to reboot a franchise, shouldn’t you pick someone younger?
Billy Bob is 53. Robert Englund, who he’s replacing, is 61.
"*I slashed the shit out of some kids today. But it was for a purpose. It made me feel good about myself. It was like I did something constructive with my life or something, I dunno, like I accomplished something. * "
(Paraphrasing BBT’s “Willie” character in Bad Santa )
I don’t see why. First, he’s going to be covered in makeup for most of the movie. Second, even if there’s an “origin” scene from before the fire that killed Freddy - wasn’t Krueger supposed to be middle-aged anyway? I could be way off, but I always thought that was so.
ETA: And by the way, I’m psyched! This should kick ass.
Any word on whether Wes Craven is directing?
The IMDB pages aren’t loaded with info.
Regardless, it can’t be as good as Mr. Woodcock.
If Billy Bob isn’t too old to play him, why is Englund too old to play him again? Is he in poor health or something? Or just not interested? Shame on whoever’s making this if it turns they didn’t even offer Englund the part, simply because it’s a remake/reboot/whatever and they want a clean break.
53 vs 61 isn’t that much of an age difference, at least not for casting in movies. If Englund was 80 or they were choosing someone 30-40, I might see them as having a better reason for recasting.
At least Englund is happy with the choice. I’m not sure I am, but hey, that’s showbiz! 
There’s probably a reason why Englund never advanced to a higher rank in the Hollywood pecking order. It’s fairly well a given that Billy Bob is a better actor, which opens up room for more story since they can give Freddy more of a part than spouting humorous/scary one-liners.
The problem I’d foresee, though, is that BBT isn’t exactly thin. If you’re going to be covering someone in a quarter inch of latex, you’re better off to pick someone with a small head and otherwise thin frame. I wouldn’t be surprised that they end up dropping him because the Freddy face either looks painted on, or it looks like it’s hovering in mid-air around the head.
I believe this Billy Bob Thornton rumour is bollocks, originating from speculation by Robert Englund. Why get an actor who is almost as old as Englund himself to continue the franchise? Surely you’d get someone young to be around for a decade or two.