Doug Bradley would consider a return as Pinhead in the Hellraiser franchise.

The 69-year-old actor has starred as the iconic antagonist in eight movies in the horror series and explained that he has never "retired" from the part despite being replaced by Jamie Clayton in the 2022 reboot.

In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, Doug said: "I certainly never say never. I've never said I was done with it. I've never said I'm retired from it.

"I'm sensible about these things, too. I was in my mid-30s when I first played the character, and I was just turning 50 when I played him the last time. I ain't in that age range anymore. I'm now in my 70th year, and to some extent I think special effects makeup is a younger man's game."

Doug explained that his dream return would be as "an older, darker Pinhead" in an adaptation of Clive Barker's 2015 novel The Scarlet Gospels, which focused on the end of the demonic Cenobite.

He said: "If we did that, we could maybe present an older Pinhead to be aware of the fact that I am the age that I am, that time and gravity does what time and gravity does.

"An older, darker Pinhead would intrigue me, one not so much in love with the flippant one-liners and the witty comebacks and so forth."

Doug revealed that he had mixed emotions about Clayton's portrayal of Pinhead in the reboot but he refused to place any blame on the actress.

He explained: "She wasn't really asked to do very much. There were some wonderful shots. There's the distance shot where she's standing on water outside the house; beautiful, beautiful shot. But I felt she wasn't asked to be terribly proactive thereafter.

"So I was excited, intrigued, and ultimately a little bit disappointed — but not by Jamie's performance at all."