Paramount Secures U.S. Elm Street Rights for Reboot as 35-Year Copyright Rule Shifts Freddy
Updated
Updated · Deadline · Jul 13
Paramount Secures U.S. Elm Street Rights for Reboot as 35-Year Copyright Rule Shifts Freddy
3 articles · Updated · Deadline · Jul 13
Summary
Paramount licensed the U.S. rights to Wes Craven’s 1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street screenplay and plans a franchise reboot through its new genre label, Paramount Primal.
The deal became possible because U.S. copyright law lets authors reclaim rights after 35 years; the Craven estate regained the screenplay rights in 2019 with attorney Marc Toberoff.
New Line keeps international rights, no writer has been hired, and Iya Labunka, Jonathan Craven and Toberoff are producing while J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules executive produce.
The split revives a franchise dormant in theaters since the 2010 reboot; across 8 films, Elm Street has grossed more than $438 million worldwide, excluding some early foreign sales.
Paramount said the rights deal is separate from its pending Warner Bros. tie-up, though Freddy would ultimately sit under the same corporate parent on a different label.