Haley promises "deeper" 'Elm Street'

Jackie Earle Haley has promised a "deeper" version of the reboot of A Nightmare On Elm Street.

The Watchmen star, who has signed up to play iconic villain Freddy Krueger in the remake to Wes Craven's 1984 classic, has said that the forthcoming movie will pay homage to the horror franchise.

Haley told MTV: "I think the glove is pretty familiar. It's really important for us, I think, as we're re-imagining this, that there is a good, strong sense of new and fresh - yet there's some recognisability, you know?

"A lot of what was in that first movie is also in this movie, as far as the structure of it and how it plays out. It's a little bit deeper; we dove into Freddy's background a little bit more.

"It's a very similar background to what we know about him. But we dove into it a little bit more. I think it's going to be a neat homage to Wes Craven's original film."

As for how his character compared to Robert Englund's portrayal of Krueger, the 48-year-old actor added: "You know, I think my Freddy is a bit more serious. He's not much of a comedian.

"But I am working on my tap dancing lessons. Just in case they do a sequel."

A Nightmare On Elm Street opens in cinemas on April 16, 2010.