Director Dan Trachtenberg Takes on Animated Horror-Comedy ‘Freddy the 13th’ for Paramount

Dan Trachtenberg is keeping busy. Fresh off revitalizing the Predator franchise, the filmmaker has signed on to direct an animated horror-comedy called Freddy the 13th for Paramount Animation, based on Yehudi Mercado’s graphic novel of the same name.

The project marks another partnership between Trachtenberg and Paramount, the studio that backed his 2016 breakthrough film 10 Cloverfield Lane. It also comes as part of a newly inked first-look deal between the director and the studio. Longtime collaborator Ben Rosenblatt will produce alongside Trachtenberg.

The premise is quirky, to say the least. The story follows a young boy who learns his father is the notorious masked killer from the Friday the 13th universe. But instead of following in his father’s murderous footsteps, the kid has other dreams — he wants to make it on Broadway. It’s a dark comedy about family legacy, identity, and the pursuit of an unconventional path.

Mercado, whose graphic novel inspired the film, will serve as an executive producer and help bring his original vision to the screen. Trachtenberg’s production company will handle the rest.

Trachtenberg has become one of the industry’s most in-demand genre directors by successfully rebooting the Predator franchise. Since directing 2022’s Prey, he’s expanded the universe with the animated series Predator: Killer of Killers and the recent live-action film Predator: Badlands. His knack for blending suspense, humor, and heart has made him a go-to filmmaker for franchise work.

Freddy the 13th will be another chance for Trachtenberg to prove he can take an established property and make something fresh. A release date hasn’t been announced yet, but expect this one to land somewhere on Paramount Animation’s slate in the coming years.