At long last, nearly two and a half years after the show was first announced, Crystal Lake is truly, finally underway. Hailing from A24 and set to stream on Peacock, this is the first new Friday the 13th media we’ve had in a long, long time so this is a big deal. The project has hit several major speed bumps along the way since it was first announced in November 2022. However, showrunner Brad Caleb Kane has confirmed via an Instagram post that pre-production is underway, with the production’s offices now open.
See also: 40 Years Ago, FRIDAY THE 13TH Was Given A NEW BEGINNING
“Crystal Lake Production offices are live. It’s all happening. MACHETES FOR EVERYONE!” Kane said in the caption. He also revealed the bottom half of the production draft of the script, as well as a Jason sticker on the corner of his laptop. It’s a simple image but it should be more than enough to get fans excited.
The series was originally announced in November 2022 with Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) set as the showrunner. Peacock gave the show a full season commitment, with a very likely option for a second season. The rights to the Friday the 13th franchise have been a mess for years but the producers managed to untangle them for this prequel TV show. Given that we haven’t seen Jason Voorhees on the silver screen since the 2009 remake, this was all very exciting. Sad to say, it still looks like a new Friday the 13th movie isn't happening any time soon, so this will have to do in the meantime.
Unfortunately, there was trouble behind the scenes and, eventually, Fuller departed the show, leaving things on uncertain ground. In August 2024, Cane (Warrior, It: Welcome to Derry) was brought on board as the new showrunner and was tasked with revamping the previous plans for the series. Specifics regarding the plot remain totally under wraps but we know that it has been described as an expanded prequel that will focus a great deal on Jason’s mom, Pamela Voorhees.
While we still don’t know who will take on the role of Jason, Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me, Scooby-Doo) is set to take on the role of Pamela Voorhees. With pre-production now underway, one imagines that we’ll be hearing a lot more about the cast sooner rather than later. If filming follows in the coming months, we can likely expect the show to finally premiere sometime in 2026, no doubt tied to a Friday the 13th on the calendar. There’s one in February, March and November next year. Just sayin’.
Crystal Lake does not currently have a release date but stay tuned. For more, get the lowdown on what else the Friday the 13th franchise might have in store.
