It has now been a full 13 years since the release of the last Friday the 13th movie, with the franchise trapped in a messy legal battle ever since. FINALLY, the wait is almost over…
Variety has made the hugely surprising announcement today that Peacock has ordered up “Crystal Lake,” a Friday the 13th prequel series from Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal”)!
The craziest part of this huge news? A24 will serve as the studio behind the series!
Peacock has given the project a straight-to-series order, with “Crystal Lake” being described as an “expanded prequel” to the original Friday the 13th franchise.
Variety details, “The show will be written by Bryan Fuller, who is also the showrunner and an executive producer. Victor Miller, who penned the original film in the franchise, will also executive produce along with Marc Toberoff, Rob Barsamian, and A24.”
“’Friday the 13th’ is one of the most iconic horror franchises in movie history and we were dying to revisit this story with our upcoming drama series ‘Crystal Lake,’” said Susan Rovner, chairman of entertainment content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “We can’t wait to get to work with Bryan Fuller, a gifted, visionary creator who I’ve had the pleasure of being a longtime friend and collaborator, along with our incredible partners at A24, in this updated version for Peacock that will thrill long-standing fans of the franchise.”
“I discovered ‘Friday the 13th’ in the pages of Famous Monsters magazine when I was 10 years old and I have been thinking about this story ever since,” Fuller said. “When it comes to horror, A24 raises the bar and pushes the envelope and I’m thrilled to be exploring the camp grounds of Crystal Lake under their banner. And Susan Rovner is simply the best at what she does. It’s a pleasure and an honor to be working with her again.”
To recap the franchise’s legal issues, Sean Cunningham, the original movie’s director, and Victor Miller, the original movie’s writer, have been fighting over who gets control of what.
It was back in 2018 that a judge ruled Victor Miller owns the rights to the original Friday the 13th screenplay in the United States, a decision Cunningham has failed to overturn in the years that have followed. Cunningham, however, owns the character of adult Jason Voorhees, introduced in later sequels, which is why the Peacock series is taking the prequel approach.
In other words, Fuller and the team are able to use the events of the original Friday the 13th as a springboard, which includes the Crystal Lake location and the Mrs. Voorhees character.
Stay tuned for more as we learn it.
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