On Halloween of 2022, 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. Things were moving ahead at a good pace, filming was expected to begin last July, but then the project hit a speed bump at the end of April with the firing of Fuller and his frequent collaborator Jim Danger Gray. Things got back on track in late August with the hiring of a new showrunner – and that person is Brad Caleb Kane, who also serves as co-showrunner and executive producer of It: Welcome to Derry, the It prequel series that’s coming soon to HBO. Crystal Lake is now heading toward production and is in such good shape, it now has five cast members! We’ve previously heard that Linda Cardellini (No Good Deed) had signed on to play Pamela Voorhees, with William Catlett (Black Lightning) on board to play a character named Levon Brooks, who may be Crystal Lake’s chief of police. Now, Deadline reports that Cardellini and Catlett are joined in the cast by Devin Kessler (Godfather of Harlem), Cameron Scoggins (Shades of Blue), and Gwendolyn Sundstrom (I’m Beginning to See the Light). Their characters are Briana Brooks, Dorf, and Grace, respectively. According to Deadline, Crystal Lake has rounded out its series regular cast with these additions.
Friday the 13th fans will recognize the name Dorf, as he was the motorcycle cop who made a visit to Camp Crystal Lake in the original film. Kane confirmed that Dorf is “one of many” legacy characters from the original film who will be showing up in the series. He also teased that bike-riding doomsayer Crazy Ralph may be another one of those characters:
A while back, an article published by The Wrap sought to figure out why Crystal Lake fell apart just a few months before filming was scheduled to begin the last time around. Their sources gave a lot of conflicting information, but it seemed to boil down to concerns about Fuller’s vision, late scripts, a ballooning budget (it was surpassing the $85 million being provided for the first season), unpaid writers… and possibly A24 executives’ lack of TV experience. In that article, it was mentioned that Charlize Theron was being eyed for the role of Pam Voorhees, the vengeful mother of Jason Voorhees. Industry scooper Daniel Richtman later added, “While they eyed Charlize Theron, Claire Danes had the offer to play Pam Voorhees but she passed. Another interesting bit is that it was only a one-year deal. Meaning the main character would change in season 2.“ It seems likely that Cardellini has made a similar one-season deal.
In addition to showrunner, Kane will be credited as creator, writer, and executive producer of Crystal Lake. It remains to be seen if he’s using anything from the original Fuller scripts and outlines, or if he scrapped those and started over completely. When he was hired, he provided the following statement: “From the moment I watched Jason Voorhees squeeze a guy’s eyeball out of its socket (in glorious 3D!) at the tender age of 8 years old, I knew my creative path was someday destined to converge with The Man Behind The Mask. Nothing defined my childhood more than growing up in the golden age of the slasher flick, and nothing’s defined the genre more than Friday The 13th. I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to contribute a chapter to this iconic franchise, particularly with such fearless partners as Peacock and A24.“ Beyond It: Welcome to Derry, Kane’s TV credits include Fringe, Black Sails, Lodge 49, Moonhaven, Warrior, and Tokyo Vice.
While the show was originally reported to be a Friday the 13th prequel, Fuller’s approach to the material was actually to make each season a deconstruction of the first four Friday the 13th films. “The series would incorporate lore from several sequels but remix that material in a way similar to Fuller’s Hannibal, which interpolated the Thomas Harris novels for three seasons.” So season 1 would be set “in the immediate aftermath of the drowning of a young Jason Voorhees,” and it would center on his mother Pam as she goes on a homicidal rampage of revenge. That rampage doesn’t turn out well for Pam, opening the door for Jason to return and start his own killing spree. Vincenzo Natali (Cube) and Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) were going to be directing episodes, while Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson was writing an episode that would have been an hour-long chase sequence “set entirely on a frozen Crystal Lake, with the summer camp’s cabins trapped under snow drifts.” Each episode of Crystal Lake was set to have a budget of $9.6 million, but A24 reportedly wanted to cut that in half. Maybe Kane’s vision has allowed them to do that.
According to Deadline, Crystal Lake‘s version of Pamela is believed to be a mother who had given up a singing career to raise a special needs child and takes a dark turn when she loses her son. The series is being executive produced by A24, Kane, Marc Toberoff, Victor Miller, Robert M. Barsamian, Robert P. Barsamian, Tyson Bidner, and Stuart Manashil. As Deadline notes, “The project will mark one of A24’s first major IP-driven efforts amid a recent move expand in a more commercial direction.”
Directors on the series will include Michael Lennox (Derry Girls), who helms episodes 1 through 3; Celine Held and Logan George (Caddo Lake), directing episodes 4 through 6, and Quyen Tran (Sirens), directing episodes 7 and 8.
Fridaythe13thFranchise.com reports that filming is scheduled to begin on June 18th in West Milford, New Jersey, which is about an hour drive away from where the original movie was filmed, and will last through November 21st. “The show is set in the 1970s, but multiple organizations reference the year 1971 specifically.” Recent casting calls have been searching for teens, summer camp kids, swimming campers, experienced lifeguards, and canoeing and archery camp counselors.
What do you think of the cast that’s being assembled for Crystal Lake? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
