The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise just hasn’t been the same since original Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englund hung up his clawed glove after 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason. But now, 15 years later, Englund is finally returning to his most famous role — for one night only.
Englund will suit up as Freddy in the upcoming Halloween episode of ’80s-set ABC sitcom The Goldbergs. The series made the announcement via their Twitter account, where they released a video featuring Englund in costume as Freddy alongside the show’s matriarch, Beverly Goldberg (Wendi McLendon-Covey).
#TheGoldbergs Halloween episode this year is going to be a NIGHTMARE! @RobertBEnglund will guest star as the one and only Freddy Krueger! pic.twitter.com/JduaQYqeiP
— The Goldbergs (@TheGoldbergsABC) September 21, 2018
While on the surface, it may seem like a shock that The Goldbergs was able to get a legendary actor to return to a role from which they had retired — especially since Englund said very recently that he would never play Freddy again — but the series has actually done something similar before. Earlier this year, The Goldbergs managed to snag Rick Moranis — whose been retired from basically all acting for two decades — to voice his Spaceballs character Dark Helmet on the series. Still, the return of Englund as Freddy is certainly exciting, as is this promo photo for the episode featuring Freddy and Beverly recreating an iconic shot from A Nightmare on Elm 3‘s promotional campaign.
No air date has yet been announced for the episode, but we’re guessing it will show up on ABC some time close to Oct 31. Until then, sweet dreams.
