Crystal Lake: Friday the 13th series might start filming this summer

Fourteen and a half months have gone by since it was announced that original Friday the 13th screenwriter Victor Miller – fresh off winning the U.S. copyright to the 1980 film after a lawsuit that stretched on for years – was teaming up with his lawyer Marc Toberoff, franchise rights holder Rob Barsamian, production company A24, the Peacock streaming service, and showrunner Bryan Fuller (whose credits include Hannibal and Pushing Daisies) to develop a new Friday the 13th streaming series called Crystal Lake. There haven’t been many updates since then… which isn’t surprising to fans of the Friday the 13th franchise, because we’ve gotten used to not getting any new content. But Crystal Lake might actually make it into production soon! Fridaythe13thFranchise.com reports that the show was once expected to start filming in March of 2024, but due to the writers and actors strikes that brought most projects to a halt for several months last year, A24 and Fuller are now aiming to get the show rolling sometime this summer.

Fridaythe13thFranchise reported, “We have learned recently that filming for the series is now targeting a Summer 2024 start which should then kick off a slew of updates pertaining to the events surrounding Crystal Lake. The filming schedule was indeed delayed past March due to the strikes as well as other circumstances that look like they have been resolved. Hopefully, everything lines up for a Summer shoot so fans can finally start receiving regular updates.“

When the project was first announced, Susan Rovner of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming provided the following statement: “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. 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.“

Fuller added: “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. 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.“ As for the rights situation, Fuller told Fangoria, “We can use everything. We can go to Hell, we can go to space. That’s not to say that we will do those things … although if we do go 10 seasons, I will be lobbying hard to go to space. (laughs) A24 and Marc Toberoff, who is Victor Miller’s lawyer, 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. The movie rights are a completely different thing. They are tied up at New Line and are super, super messy and probably won’t be untangled anytime soon, but as far as us chickens in the television industry, uh, roost, we have access to anything and everything that Friday the 13th has done up until this point.” During a public appearance, he said, “We’re honestly going to be covering it all. The series is covering the life and times of these two characters” (presumably he’s referring to Pamela and Jason Voorhees there!) The plan is that we will see “many familiar manifestations of Jason” throughout the series.

Peacock has given Crystal Lake a full-season commitment with a penalty if they don’t do a season 2, so it’s basically a two season commitment. Thinking ahead, Fuller has already mapped out four seasons of the show. Authors Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes were part of the team of writers that were brought together to craft the first season of scripts, as was Tommy Pico, who is on the Reservation Dogs staff. Scream writer Kevin Williamson will also be writing an episode.

Adrienne King, who played heroine Alice Hardy in the original film (and returned for the opening sequence of Friday the 13th Part 2, where she was killed off) will have a recurring role on Crystal Lake.

Are you hoping Crystal Lake will start filming this summer? Share your thoughts on this show by leaving a comment below.