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Dan Trachtenberg to Direct Animated Comedy-Horror Adaptation of Yehudi Mercado’s ‘Freddy The 13th’ for Paramount Animation
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Culture/The Apex Times/Jun 22, 1:05 PM EDT

Dan Trachtenberg to Direct Animated Comedy-Horror Adaptation of Yehudi Mercado’s ‘Freddy The 13th’ for Paramount Animation

Paramount Animation announced an untitled animated comedy-horror project at Annecy, with filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg attached to direct and based on Yehudi Mercado’s graphic novel.

2 min readEditor-approved Apex article

Paramount Animation announced an untitled animated comedy-horror feature based on the graphic novel Freddy The 13th by Yehudi Mercado, with Dan Trachtenberg set to direct, according to an exclusive report published June 22. The news was shared at Annecy, where the studio revealed the project as part of its upcoming slate for animated feature development.

The Deadline report said the adaptation will be produced and directed under Trachtenberg’s newly signed relationship with Paramount Animation’s parent company, Paramount Pictures. It described the announcement as coming roughly four months after Trachtenberg signed a three-year producing and directing first-look deal with Paramount Pictures’ animation division.

Trachtenberg is best known, per the report, for directing 10 Cloverfield Lane and Predator: Badlands. His assignment to helm an animated comedy-horror project marks a shift in genre packaging, combining horror-themed material from Mercado’s Freddy The 13th with comedy within an animation format.

The project is currently described only as untitled, with no release date, cast, or production timeline provided in the report. Paramount Animation did not specify, in the available disclosure, how closely the adaptation will track the graphic novel’s plot, nor whether it will include additional creative teams beyond Trachtenberg and the studio.

Yehudi Mercado’s Freddy The 13th is the source material for the screenplay concept referenced by the studio announcement. The report frames the graphic novel as the basis for the animated feature, which suggests the studio intends to adapt existing characters and story elements into a longer-form animation property.

The Trachtenberg attachment also places the project within the structure of Paramount Pictures’ first-look arrangement, meaning the studio will have early access to ideas developed during the term of the deal, while providing a path for projects to move into production if they clear internal creative and scheduling milestones.

With the project still in early development, next steps are expected to include confirming a creative team for writing and animation production, finalizing the adaptation approach, and determining whether the project is handled as a traditional theatrical animated feature, a streaming-focused release, or a hybrid strategy. No distribution plans were included in the report.

Why It Matters

  • The project adds to Paramount’s developing pipeline for animated features, using established horror-comedy branding grounded in graphic-novel source material.
  • Trachtenberg’s first-look deal suggests Paramount Pictures is actively steering high-profile directing talent toward animation with a structured internal pathway.
  • Because the project is untitled and early in development, timelines, creative roles, and release plans remain to be determined, affecting how and when audiences may see the adaptation.
  • Adapting a graphic novel for animation can shift rights, licensing, and creative budgeting compared with live-action counterparts, with implications for development costs and scheduling across Paramount Animation’s broader slate.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Paramount Animation announced an untitled animated comedy-horror project based on Yehudi Mercado’s graphic novel Freddy The 13th.
  • Dan Trachtenberg is attached to direct the adaptation.
  • The announcement was made in connection with Annecy.
  • The report said the news arrived about four months after Trachtenberg signed a three-year producing and directing first-look deal with Paramount Pictures, covering Paramount Animation.
  • The article cited Trachtenberg’s prior directing work on 10 Cloverfield Lane and Predator: Badlands.
  • No release date, cast, or additional production details were provided in the report.