Peacock has revealed that Crystal Lake, a prequel drama based on the popular horror film franchise Friday the 13th, has gone straight to series just in time for Halloween.
The series will be produced by A24, the studio known for buzzy films like Everything Everywhere All at Once and this year’s horror one-two punch, X and Pearl. Bryan Fuller, the prolific television creator behind such shows as American Gods and Star Trek: Discovery, will write, showrun, and executive produce the project.
You May Also Check
- True Crime: Why Are We So Addicted to Watching Chilling TV Series About Real-Life Killers?
- Stranger Things Co-Star Millie Bobby Brown Talks About The Theory Of Season 5
Jason Voorhees, the hockey-masked slasher who kills mainly in and around the lush and pastoral grounds of Camp Crystal Lake, is the star of the 1980s horror franchise Friday the 13th. Before the movies gave birth to a TV series, novels, video games, and various merchandise as the franchise gained popularity.
As the IP transitioned from Paramount to New Line, it became entangled in intricate rights agreements. It was the subject of a protracted copyright battle between Victor Miller, the original screenwriter, and director-producer Sean S. Cunningham.
A24 is developing a ‘Friday the 13th’ prequel series called ‘Crystal Lake’ 🔪 pic.twitter.com/2TVxUwz3Fg
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) October 31, 2022
Miller won the election in May, gaining authority over the story and the original cast but losing the right to use the term “Friday the 13th,” the idea that Jason is an adult, or even the hockey mask, which wasn’t used until the third film.
Executive producers of the Peacock drama, which has been compared to Bates Motel, the A&E series that ran from 2013 to 2017 and served as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror classic, Psycho, include Miller, Rob Barsamian, and Marc Toberoff, the copyright lawyer who represented Miller in the case.
The title and the mask, together with the rights not found in Miller’s suitcase, are currently owned by Barsamian. That suggests that certain elements are maybe present at some point and that the two parties are currently collaborating on this project.
Neat-o: TV creator Bryan Fuller and A24 team for a FRIDAY THE 13TH prequel series titled CRYSTAL LAKE, being developed at Peacock. This comes after a years-long copyright dispute was won by the original screenwriter earlier this year. https://t.co/PRAa1revKp
— Borys Kit (@Borys_Kit) October 31, 2022
In a statement, Fuller claimed that she first learned about Friday the 13th when she was ten years old and had been thinking about it ever since. “When it comes to horror, A24 sets the standard high and pushes the boundaries, so I’m pleased to be touring Crystal Lake’s campgrounds under their brand.
Furthermore, Susan Rovner of [NBCUniversal] is the finest at what she does. Working with her once more is a pleasure and an honour. On the other hand, Fuller has a history that is quite colourful. His most well-known works include Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies (on which he collaborated with Rovner while she was at Warner Bros. TV), Dead Like Me, and Hannibal, all of which received critical acclaim but suffered from poor ratings.
He created American Gods, Star Trek: Discovery, and Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, and he left or was fired from all three for various reasons. His most recent production was the docuseries Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror, which he executive produced.
‘Friday the 13th’ prequel series ‘Crystal Lake’ from Bryan Fuller & A24 sets up camp at Peacock 🏕 pic.twitter.com/Fgu46v3qaB
— Fandom (@getFANDOM) October 31, 2022
For NBC, Fuller previously created The Munsters revival Mockingbird Lane, which eventually aired as a network special in the spirit of Halloween. We were itching to return to this subject with our new drama series Crystal Lake because Friday the 13th is one of the most recognizable horror franchises in film history, according to Rovner, chairman of entertainment programming at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.
We are so excited to begin working on this revised version for Peacock that will excite devoted franchise fans with Bryan Fuller, a talented, imaginative creator with whom I have a long-standing friend and collaborator.
