UPDATE: According to the good folks at Bloody Disgusting, the plug hasn’t officially been pulled on the series, although it is undergoing “re-tooling.” They note that they have inside sources confirming as much. Certainly, if A24 isn’t going forward with the show, news will break through official channels sooner or later, so stay tuned!
ORIGINAL POST: A24 may be looking to ki-ki-ki Friday the 13th, as their planned series, Crystal Lake, seems to be treading water. Come on, A24, you were supposed to be paying attention to Jason!
As per Jeff Sneider of The InSneider, “I’m hearing that A24 has pulled the plug on Crystal Lake, its planned Peacock series based on the Friday the 13th franchise featuring masked killer Jason Voorhees. Bryan Fuller was due to executive produce the horror series. It’s unclear whether this is a permanent decision or a temporary one, as A24 had no comment. Perhaps Peacock will help the trades shed more light on this project, which was announced back in 2022.”
For horror fans, Crystal Lake had so much potential in doing justice to the Friday the 13th franchise. The series has been in a virtual lull for 15 years now (oh come on, you didn’t like that game, did you?), with no new movie since that awful Platinum Dunes reboot attempt. After an extensive legal battle left original writer Victor Miller with the rights, that then gave the opportunity for Crystal Lake showrunner Bryan Fuller cart blanche to throw pretty much anything – and anyone – from the franchise into the mix. As he put it, “A24 and [IP attorney] Marc Toberoff, have beautifully and excruciatingly assembled all of the Friday the 13th rights. As a streaming series, we have the rights to do everything underneath the Friday the 13th umbrella.”
As such, Adrienne King – who played “final girl” Alice Hardy – was directly tied to the project. Crystal Lake was also basically already confirmed for two seasons right off the bat, with the first intended to begin filming this summer.
With Chucky proving to be a hit for Peacock, no doubt horror fans would have latched onto Crystal Lake as well. What would have made this series stand out more, however, is that it was designed to be a “pre-remake-uel”, with much focus being put on both Jason and Pamela Voorhees. There, too, would be a wealth of kills that would keep us – and those horny camp counselors – coming back for more week after week.
How do you feel about Crystal Lake possibly being killed by A24? Did the series have potential? Give us your thoughts below.