According to THR, Paramount Pictures has secured U.S. rights to Wes Craven’s original screenplay for “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and plans to develop a reboot based on the classic horror IP. The deal brings Freddy Krueger back under a new studio, with the project described as being set in the world of the original film while drawing from Craven’s screenplay.
The upcoming movie will come from Paramount Primal, the studio’s new genre label led by the producers behind “Barbarian” and “Friendship.” Specific plot details, cast, or creative direction have not yet been revealed.
The franchise was previously controlled by New Line Cinema and later Warner Bros. after the company produced the 1984 original. That film became a success, launching a franchise that included seven sequels (!), a 2010 reboot, a television series, comics, and extensive merchandise.
Created by Wes Craven, Freddy Krueger is one of horror’s most recognizable villains: a dream-stalking killer with a burned face, fedora, striped sweater, and razor glove. It’s unclear whether Paramount’s take will be a remake, reimagining, or a new story connected to the original.
A person with knowledge of the situation suspects Navarrette’s reps may have helped leak the “Heat 2” narrative to Page Six: she was never offered the role in the first place.