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Dan Trachtenberg’s Next Animated Film Just Got a Release Date

The 'Predator: Killer of Killers' and 'Badlands' director will release 'Freddy the 13th' in 2028.

Published July 10, 2026, 8:00 am ET

Reading time 2 minutes

'Freddy the 13th' is coming on Friday the 13th of October, 2028. © Super Mercado Comics

We still don’t know what’s next for director Dan Trachtenberg in the world of Predator , but at least we now know when his next movie is coming to the world. Recently, Trachtenberg was attached to co-direct an adaptation of Yehudi Mercado’s comic Freddy the 13th , and now, Paramount has dated that film for October 13, 2028. Which, of course, is a Friday.

“I’ve spent most of my career making movies that parents probably shouldn’t show their kids,” Trachtenberg said on Instagram at the time of the announcement. “Happy to announce, along with Super Mercado Comics and Paramount, I’m finally making one… they… can… ?”

Freddy the 13th follows a man named Freddy, the 13th son of a 13th son, who has experienced nothing but bad luck throughout his life. Then, one night, he mistakenly kills a supernatural villain named Nighty Night and takes on his powers. “I’m incredibly excited to have found a team crazy enough to want to make an animated horror-comedy for the whole family,” Mercado posted on his Instagram. “Most of all, I’m grateful I never gave up on my dreams. Thanks, Paramount Animation! Let’s get spooky!”

Earlier this year, Trachtenberg signed a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures , which came hot on the heels of his previous three films ( Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers, and Predator: Badlands ) all being with 20th Century, a division of Disney. Freddy the 13th marks the first public result of that deal, though we’re certain it won’t be the last.

Most would assume working on Freddy the 13th would push whatever Trachtenberg’s next live-action film will be down the road, but we wouldn’t be so sure. Last year, Trachtenberg released two movies, the animated Predator: Killer of Killers and live-action Predator: Badlands, just months apart. He was able to do that because the animation workflow made it possible for him to basically make the movies at the same time. So, hypothetically, he could work on something else—whether that’s more Predator or not—in tandem with this.

And while we’re very excited to see what Trachtenberg and Mercado have in store for Freddy the 13th , we can’t help but mourn the fact that there’s a movie called Freddy the 13th opening on a Friday the 13th, and yet we haven’t seen a new Freddy or Friday the 13th movie in theaters in over 15 years. Hopefully, this spooky animation scratches that itch just a little.

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 .

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