After Michael Myers was brought back to critical and commercial success in 2018, the horror genre’s other two titans are finally getting the same treatment.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount has closed a deal for the U.S. rights to the original screenplay of A Nightmare on Elm Street, which it will adapt into a new feature through its Paramount Primal label.
The U.S. rights are being licensed from the Craven estate, which, thanks to copyright law, regained the rights to the screenplay in 2019. Craven’s widow Iya Labunka and Craven’s son Jonathan Craven will produce the new Nightmare as part of the deal.
“We look forward to bringing the world of Wes Craven’s Nightmare on Elm Street to a new and completely engaged generation of fans,” said Labunka in a statement. “We know that Wes would have been thrilled to see how horror is taking its long overdue place in the cultural canon. We can’t wait for all of us to sit together in a dark theatre – around the campfire of today – as the next chapter of the Nightmare story unfolds.”
There has not been a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie since the divisive 2010 remake, which featured Jackie Earle Haley as franchise (and ’80s) icon Freddy Krueger. Of course, it’s Robert Englund who originated the role and memorably played him in the franchise’s first eight films (as well as in several non-canon TV appearances, like The Goldbergs).
It’s unclear at this time if New Line, who distributed the entire franchise to date and has been nicknamed “The House That Freddy Built” due to its success, will be involved with the reboot. The company does retain international rights to Nightmare, so I’m imagining some sort of deal will need to be worked out if Paramount wants to see this reboot released overseas.
Friday the 13th Prequel Drops First Teaser
The Nightmare news was dropped the same day as the first teaser trailer for Crystal Lake, the upcoming Friday the 13th prequel series starring Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees.
Plot Synopsis:
All eight episodes of Crystal Lake premiere on Peacock on October 15, 2026.
What do you screenagers think? Are you ready for A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th to make their 2020s debut?
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