Trachtenberg Adapts 'Freddy the 13th'
Paramount Animation Taps Dan Trachtenberg to Direct PG-Rated Horror-Comedy 'Freddy the 13th'
Key Points
In Freddy the 13th, Freddy accidentally kills the Boogeyman Nighty Night and inherits his powers, setting up a quest across thirteen nights to break the curse as rival killers emerge.
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie is scheduled for release on August 14, 2026, as part of Paramount Animation's slate.
Trachtenberg's background in animation and TV includes directing Predator: Killer of Killers on Hulu and episodes of Black Mirror and The Boys, and he also has a three-year first-look deal with Paramount.
Paramount Animation's broader slate features Survivor and The Naughty List, underscoring the studio's push into original concepts under president Jennifer Dodge.
Dan Trachtenberg, the director behind *Prey* and *Predator: Badlands*, is heading to Paramount Animation to direct an animated feature based on Yehudi Mercado's graphic novel *Freddy the 13th*, The Wrap reported. The announcement came June 22 at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.
The film follows Freddy Vanwinkle, the unlucky thirteenth son of a family who accidentally kills the Boogeyman — called Nighty Night — and inherits his powers. Freddy then has thirteen nights to break the curse before rival killers come for him. Paramount is pitching it as a PG-rated horror comedy for the whole family.
Trachtenberg Jokes About His First Kid-Friendly Film
Trachtenberg will direct and produce alongside his longtime collaborator Ben Rosenblatt. Mercado will co-direct, keeping the film close to the source material. On Instagram, Trachtenberg poked fun at his own filmography. "I've spent most of my career making movies that parents probably shouldn't show their kids," he wrote, adding that he was "finally making one…they…can…?" The Wrap captured the full quote.
Trachtenberg and Rosenblatt signed a three-year first-look deal with Paramount back on February 6, 2026, according to Dark Horizons. That deal covers feature development and production. The *Freddy the 13th* project is one of the first major announcements to come out of it.
Paramount Bets on Original Horror to Diversify Its Slate
Paramount Animation has long leaned on *SpongeBob SquarePants* and *PAW Patrol* to drive revenue. Now, under president Jennifer Dodge and Ramsey Naito — who leads Paramount and Nickelodeon Animation — the studio is pushing hard into original ideas. At Annecy, Naito stressed the "zeitgeist-piercing appeal of horror" for family audiences, according to Cartoon Brew.
Other new originals on the slate include *The Naughty List*, a holiday project from Robert Rodriguez, and *Survivor*, an animated take on the long-running CBS reality show. *PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie* anchors the near-term calendar with an August 14, 2026 release date, per Deadline.
Trachtenberg Already Proved He Can Direct Animation
Some might wonder if a director known for R-rated action can pull off a PG kids' movie. Trachtenberg answered that question before *Freddy the 13th* was announced. His adult animated anthology *Predator: Killer of Killers* premiered on Hulu on June 5, 2025. Cartoon Brew noted the series showed he could build tension in a stylized, animated format.
Before that, he directed episodes of *Black Mirror* and *The Boys*, showing he can shift tones across projects. Analysts at Dark Horizons called the *Freddy the 13th* move an "interesting pivot" but noted his animation track record makes it a credible one.
Title Confusion and Brand Questions Linger Around the Project
The name *Freddy the 13th* is a clear nod to both Freddy Krueger and *Friday the 13th*. That has already caused confusion online. Fans on Reddit's r/deadmeatjames called it a "PG slasher parody," with one user describing it as "Uncle Buck becomes the Boogeyman," according to Bloody Disgusting.
ScreenRant noted that the title is "a deliberate play" on both horror icons, but flagged that a name change "is not unexpected" before marketing kicks off. While Paramount owns the original *Friday the 13th* films, rights to the franchise have been tangled in legal disputes. No release date has been set for *Freddy the 13th* yet.
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