Rights to ‘Nightmare On Elm Street’ Revert Back To Wes Craven
Earlier this week, we learnt some cool news about the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, as the U.S. rights revert back to Wes Craven’s estate. Yep Freddy Krueger has finally come home, but it’s sadly all too late for Wes, who passed away in 2015. Whilst Wes wrote and directed the first film, New Line Cinema took control of Freddy’s Future, meaning that the hugely success film franchise failed to net Wes the fortune he deserved. But the legacy of the characters he created still live to this day!
“Every town has an Elm Street!”
The Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise squeezed out seven sequels and a remake, and it’s no secret that New Line was saved by Freddy’s night time antics, as the studio was often referred to as “The House That Freddy Built“. But due to laws which give the writer’s complete control over their work after 35 years, New Line had no choice but to open up their hands and let Freddy fly home. Hey, don’t feel sorry for them though! They still regain distribution rights for the rest of world. So if any other company bid on NOES, they will have to commit to New Lines involvement in global distribution.
What does that mean for the future of the franchise? Well, as New Line was not actually doing anything with series, after a failed remake in 2010, the market is wide open for more Freddy. Both Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) and Heather Langenkamp (Nancy Thompson) have recently spoke about wanting to return to their respective roles. It’s quite possible that the only reason we have not had any movement on another film is because the rights were heading back to Craven. But with the franchise now open for other production companies to step in, we could see more Nightmare on Elm Street pretty soon. Hell… New Line might just step in and nab him back? If the price is right of course!
What do you think Horror Fans? Could Craven’s bring back the Freddy we know and love? Maybe another reboot is on the books? Scream loudly in the comments below!