Friday the 13th prequel series Crystal Lake coming from Peacock, A24, Bryan Fuller

UPDATE: Variety originally noted that Victor Miller and Marc Toberoff “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.” Their article has since been updated to add that Miller and Toberoff also hold non-exclusive foreign rights, and by bringing in Rob Barsamian – an investor in the original Friday the 13th who has a stake in the rest of the franchise – they will have access to any elements from the sequels they might want to use. So Sean S. Cunningham might not have any room to try to stop this project.

The original article follows:

It’s Halloween, but the biggest news of the day is about Friday the 13th! When the copyright lawsuit between original Friday the 13th producer/director Sean S. Cunningham and writer Victor Miller came to an end a while back, Miller was awarded the U.S. copyright to the first movie. With that in hand, Miller’s lawyer was confident that he could now pursue making a remake, prequel, sequel, TV series – basically anything he wanted. A fact which Cunningham, who still holds the rights to the overall franchise, strongly disputed. Well, now Miller has made his move. Variety reports that the Peacock streaming service has ordered a Friday the 13th series called Crystal Lake. The show is being described as an “expanded prequel”.

Crystal Lake is coming to us from A24. Miller is executive producing alongside the studio with his lawyer Marc Toberoff, Rob Barsamian, and showrunner Bryan Fuller. Fuller, whose credits include Hannibal and Pushing Daisies, is also writing the show.

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.“

It’s surprising that Miller is the first one to announce his Friday the 13th project, because in recent months it has appeared that Cunningham is working with New Line Cinema and It producer Roy Lee to get a new film into production. Will New Line still go ahead with a Friday the 13th movie while Crystal Lake is active at Peacock? We’ll have to wait and see.

How does Crystal Lake sound to you? Would you be interested in watching a Friday the 13th prequel series on Peacock? Share your thoughts on this news by leaving a comment below.