By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The man who helped bring Hannibal Lecter to television is doing the same for Jason Voorhees and (presumably) his mom.
Variety reports that HANNIBAL’s Bryan Fuller is serving as writer, showrunner and an executive producer on CRYSTAL LAKE, an “expanded prequel” series for A24 and Peacock, which will stream the show. Original FRIDAY THE 13TH screenwriter Victor Miller is also executive-producing, along with Marc Toberoff and Ron Barsamian. No plot details have been released as of now.
“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 says. “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 [chairman of entertainment content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming] is simply the best at what she does. It’s a pleasure and an honor to be working with her again.”
“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,” Rovner, says. “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.”
According to the trade, “Miller and Toberoff, his attorney, were previously involved in a lengthy court case in an attempt to obtain the rights to the original film’s screenplay for Miller. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Miller’s favor in 2021, giving him the U.S. rights to the screenplay. As such, they do not have the rights to use any elements of the films established after the original FRIDAY THE 13TH, which includes Jason Vorhees’ trademark hockey mask, but are able to explore prequels as in the case of the Peacock series.”
We can assume that means we’ll learn a lot more about Jason’s childhood, his relationship with his mother Pamela and what went down at Camp Crystal Lake back in the ’50s. More details on this as they come up!
