Overview
- Paramount closed a deal on Monday to license U.S. theatrical rights to Wes Craven’s original 1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street screenplay for development at its new genre label Paramount Primal.
- The Craven estate’s Iya Labunka and Jonathan Craven will produce alongside attorney-producer Marc Toberoff while J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules will executive produce for Paramount Primal.
- The project is described as a priority development but is early stage with no writer, director, cast or release date announced and Robert Englund’s involvement unconfirmed.
- The Craven estate reclaimed the original screenplay rights in 2019 using U.S. copyright reclamation rules, a legal route that has enabled creators to recover long-dormant horror IP.
- New Line retains international rights, which means any global release will require cross-studio coordination and could shape how the film is financed, marketed and distributed.