Last November, it was announced that Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller would be developing a new Crystal Lake series with A24 and Peacock. The lengthy writers strike slowed down the progress of the show – but now that the strike is over, Crystal Lake is back on track with friday the 13th 2024 production beginning this summer.
While the Friday the 13th horror movies have been at a standstill in recent years due to a copyright lawsuit between original Friday the 13th producer/director Sean S. Cunningham and screenwriter Victor Miller, that lawsuit has come to an end. Miller has been awarded the copyright to the classic horror movie within the United States (as well as non-exclusive foreign rights), and to get this crystal lake prequel series rolling he has teamed up with an investor in the original Friday the 13th who has a stake in the franchise. Fuller will be able to use anything he wants from the existing Friday the 13th franchise as he makes the a24 Crystal Lake peacock series. From Pamela Voorhees to every variation of Jason Voorhees, it’s all fair game.
Harry Manfredini created the memorable scores for most of the Friday the 13th films. Fuller has said there will be two musical options to choose from when fans watch the Crystal Lake Peacock series: a classic Harry Manfredini score and a modern score.
When Crystal Lake was first announced, it was described in news reports as a Friday the 13th prequel series to the films. That’s not a term Fuller would use, and when asked about it he said it’s a “pre-remake-uel”… whatever that may mean. During a later public appearance, he said, “We’re honestly going to be covering it all. The a24 crystal lake series is covering the life and times of these two characters” (presumably he’s referring to Pamela and Jason there!) The plan is that we will see “many familiar manifestations of Jason Voorhees throughout the series.
Fuller has also said the Crystal Lake prequel series will be appropriately murderous, probably “dropping bodies every episode”. Much like Hannibal, the crystal lake tv show will have a distinctive look – and they’ll also have roughly five times the per-episode budget Hannibal had.
