Nightmare on Elm Street Is Returning At Paramount Under New Label

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Posted in: Movies, Paramount Pictures | Tagged: Freddy Krueger, nightmare on elm street, paramount, Paramount Primal

Nightmare on Elm Street Is Returning At Paramount Under New Label

Paramount's new label, Paramount Primal, has acquired U.S. rights to the original A Nightmare on Elm Street screenplay and will reimagine it as a new film; no release details are available yet.

Published Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:13:10 -0500
by Jeremy Konrad
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Article Summary

  • Paramount’s new horror label Primal is reviving A Nightmare on Elm Street with a new film now in active development.
  • The studio secured U.S. rights to Wes Craven’s 1984 screenplay through a deal with Craven’s estate.
  • Iya Labunka says the new A Nightmare on Elm Street will introduce Wes Craven’s world to a new generation of fans.
  • Story details are secret, raising big questions about whether Freddy Krueger will return or if the franchise shifts focus.

Nightmare on Elm Street fans: how are you feeling? The Hollywood Reporter reports that a new installment of the beloved horror franchise is on the way from Paramount under its new label, Paramount Primal. They have closed a deal with the estate of the late Wes Craven for a license to the US rights to the original 1984 film's screenplay. The film will now be reimagined as a new film. Craven's widow, Iya Labunka, released a statement: "We look forward to bringing the world of Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street to a new and completely engaged generation of fans," she said. "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."

A still from Freddy Vs Jason (2003)

Nightmare On Elm Street Is Back…But What Does That Mean?

Primal will be led by J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules, who also released a statement: "We can't remember a time before we were fans of Wes Craven. The fact that Iya and Jonathan (Craven) have entrusted us with this opportunity to help usher a new story into this world is an honor beyond words. We look forward to working alongside them to bring a terrifying new nightmare to audiences everywhere, and to welcome Freddy home."

Important to note from the THR report: no details on the film are available at the moment, but the story is "set in the world of A Nightmare on Elm Street, based on the original screenplay." And while the Primal duo says they're "ready to welcome Freddy home", that line about the new film is interesting. Could Freddy NOT be the focus? Could they be planning a Nightmare on Elm Street film without him? One could read it that way. It will be extremely difficult to cast a new Freddy; they tried it once and failed miserably. Maybe the answer is to not have him there at all. Or could this be an animated film, with Robert Englund giving it one last go as the wisecracking villain? Hmm…

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