Now here's a crafty bit of casting news that should make the horror hounds happy: Latino Review caught wind a while ago, and Bloody-D got on the case most recently, so while this news is not yet OFFICIAL*, I'm making a judgment call on this one: Jackie Earle Haley is going to be playing Freddy Krueger in Sam Bayer's upcoming Nightmare on Elm Street remake. Speaking as only one guy (one guy who's seen all** of Haley's work and all of the Elm St. flicks three times each), I'm going to say it now: This is an EXCELLENT choice!

Obviously Jackie Earle Haley has the acting chops to carry a dark, devious, devilish villain -- but, in the right light and coated with the appropriate goo, this guy makes for one SCARY-looking mofo. Comic bookworms know Mr. Haley as Rorschach of the Watchmen, art-housers recall his chilling turn in Little Children, and a whole bunch of us remember his flick-stealing performance in Steve Zaillian's All the King's Men.

But *ahem* old people like me still know (and love) Jackie from his monumentally colorful performances in Breaking Away, Losin' It, and all three Bad News Bears flicks. I call this great news for the horror faithful, and yet another feather in the cap of a damn good actor who vanished from Hollywood -- and then "came back" with both guns blazing. One expects (nay, demands) a nice little role for the awesome Robert Englund, but if Haley is indeed the new Krueger, then my confidence in this remake has just doubled.

(* For some reason, it's never "OFFICIAL" until the trades confirm the geek sites' reports, but I have a good feeling about this one. Nice job, fellas! )

(** Yes, I've seen Damnation Alley, Nemesis, and Maniac Cop 3; Badge of Silence. Why that would surprise you is beyond me. )

And just in case you need 2.3 more minutes of my fanboy rantings, here's a piece I recently wrote entitled "Here's Why I'm Cool With a New Freddy Krueger." And now I'm even cooler with it.