Paramount has a major horror name attached to its newly named Paramount Primal genre label, and he wears a grubby red-and-green sweater and a glove tipped with razors. After nine A Nightmare on Elm Street films, including the Friday the 13th crossover Freddy vs. Jason and the regrettable 2010 remake, a tenth trip into the land of dream demons, pun-tastic insults, gory deaths, and nursery rhymes is on the way.
According to a press release, “the [as-yet] untitled film is priority development under Paramount Primal; plot details have yet to be revealed, but it will be set in the world of A Nightmare on Elm Street, based on the original screenplay.”
The rights to that original screenplay, the basis for the hit 1984 slasher, were licensed from the estate of Wes Craven, who died in 2015.
This is exciting news, but there’s something rather important missing from the press release: will Robert Englund return to play Freddy? While we love Jackie Earle Haley, it just felt wrong to have him (or anyone not named Robert Englund) taking over the killer role in the 2010 remake.
There’s also no word on who might be writing or directing. But truthfully, getting Englund back in some capacity (he’s 79, but he’s still acting; remember his creepy turn in Stranger Things?) feels like an essential element for this new Nightmare‘s success.
Paramount Primal is being led by J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules, who are also aboard to executive produce the new film.
“We can’t remember a time before we were fans of Wes Craven. The fact that [Craven estate representatives] Iya [Labunka] 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,” Lifshitz and Margules said in the press release.
“Jonathan and I are so excited to be partnering with J.D. and Rafi along with the terrific team they’ve assembled at Paramount Primal,” Labunka said. “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.”
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
