Paramount Acquires Rights to A Nightmare on Elm Street Film

Paramount Pictures has acquired the U.S. rights to develop a new film based on the original screenplay for "A Nightmare on Elm Street," marking the first major project for its newly launched genre label, Paramount Primal. The deal, announced on July 13, 2026, will bring the iconic horror franchise back to the big screen for the first time since a 2010 remake.

The rights were licensed from the estate of Wes Craven, the writer and director who created the franchise in 1984. The estate, which includes Craven's widow, Iya Labunka, and his son, Jonathan Craven, regained control of the screenplay in 2019 through copyright reclamation laws. Labunka and Jonathan Craven will produce the new film alongside attorney-turned-producer Marc Toberoff, who specializes in copyright law and assisted the estate in reclaiming the rights.

The untitled project will be set within the world of the original film and is described as being based on Craven's 1984 screenplay, though specific plot details have not been released. The film will be developed under Paramount Primal, a label led by producers J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules, known for films such as "Barbarian" and "Friendship." Lifshitz and...