The man of your dreams is coming back…
Reliable sources are reporting that Paramount Pictures have reached a deal with the Craven Estate, acquiring the U.S. distribution rights to A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Should a new movie soon emerge, Paramount’s genre label Paramount Primal will oversee production, with the parent company set to distribute.
It is currently unknown if the project in development will be an all-new Nightmare movie or a fresh take on Craven’s 1984 original.
Craven’s widow Iya Labunka and son Jonathan Craven are responsible for licensing the US rights, and will serve as executive producers on the project. Marc Toberoff, J.D. Lifshitz, and Raphael Margules will produce for Paramount Primal.
In a statement, Iya Labunka said of the Nightmare revival:
“We look forward to bringing the world of Wes Craven’s Nightmare on Elm Street to a new and completely engaged generation of fans. 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.”
It has been 16 years since Nightmare last saw the big screen, with rights issues seemingly halting any chance of a new instalment.
Whilst The Craven Estate won back the US rights to Craven’s screenplay and characters, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. retain the international rights. Over the years, neither has been able to agree on a Nightmare story direction.
However, the announcement of a new chapter at Paramount comes as the company merges with Warner Bros., thereby gaining access to their rights catalogue. Undoubtedly, this has made development of a new Nightmare instalment much easier.
As previously stated, it is unknown if this new iteration will be a remake, a sequel, or something in between.
Regardless, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this project, and report any further developments… Is Robert Englund game for one last turn as Freddy Krueger? We’ll definitely let you know.
