For the life of me, I can’t figure out why the Friday the 13th series is languishing. It’s similar to the issues plaguing Marvel Studios over Blade. You have vampires, and a sunglasses-wearing, sword-wielding vampire hunter. Go. With Friday the 13th, you have a killer in a hockey mask, and a camp filled with horny camp counselors. Go. But it has been 15 years (!!) since 2009’s standalone Friday the 13th movie, directed by Marcus Nispel, and then years of legal headaches and rights disputes. One project that had Jason fanatics ecstatic was the A24 and Peacock series Crystal Lake, helmed by Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller. And in a massive info dump, we are learning why that show remains in limbo, and also how Charlize Theron would have been involved.
In a fantastic new feature published to The Wrap, details are being laid out as to why A24’s first foray into IP storytelling, Crystal Lake, has stalled. The specifics sound familiar to anyone who has been tracking the entertainment industry for a short amount of time: budget concerns, arguments over creative vision, and the lingering effects of the 2023 writers strike also seem to have helped pump the brakes on what sounds like an incredible exploration of the Jason Voorhees. And at the top of the report, there’s previously unannounced news that Academy Award winner Charlize Theron was “eyed” to play the pivotal role of Pam Voorhees, Jason’s mother and the real killer in the initial Friday the 13th film.
Ugh, I want this show to happen so badly.
According to the report, Crystal Lake would have spanned several seasons, and spent its time expanding on the mythology of the first four movies in the original Friday the 13th series. Those really are the strongest overall chapters of the saga, and follow somewhat of a chronological storyline that begins with Mrs. Voorhees attacking camp counselors because they allowed her son, Jason, to drown in the titular lake. After 1984’s Friday the 13th part four, ironically titled The Final Chapter, the series basically went off the rails. It featured seriously cool kills. But the narrative stopped making any sort of sense.
Fans of Bryan Fuller hoped that he could do for Jason and Pamela Voorhees what he did for Hannibal Lecter with the celebrated series Hannibal. Critics adored the intelligent series, and the show ended too soon.
Is this the case with Crystal Lake? There’s hope at the end of the Wrap piece, with sources close to A24 claiming they still intend to produce the show, and different creatives being eyed who might start over from scratch instead of continuing Fuller’s vision. Then again, The Wrap cites agents who refer to the unproduced Crystal Lake as “radioactive,” which is far from promising.
I still think the idea of a multi-season, serious Crystal Lake series sounds incredible. But I’d feel a lot better about it if Bryan Fuller’s hands were on the wheel, steering the vehicle through production.
