The Friday the 13th prequel series Crystal Lake is back on track with a new showrunner. Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller originally signed on as showrunner when the series was announced back in 2022, but Fuller was fired from the project earlier this summer. That doesn’t mean the series was scrapped, and now it appears that A24 and Peacock have found the right person to revive this popular ’80s slasher for the streaming era.
According to Variety, Brad Caleb Kane will serve as the new creator, showrunner, and executive producer on Crystal Lake. Kane is no stranger to making series prequels to popular horror films, as he just wrapped production as co-showrunner and executive producer on IT: Welcome to Derry. Kane’s other writing credits include Fringe, Black Sails, and Warrior. His most notable credit might be as the singing voice of Aladdin in the 1992 animated Disney film. Kane released a statement about his Crystal Lake hiring when the news broke:
“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,” said Kane. “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.”
Crystal Lake
- Studio
- A24 Television, Crystal Lake Entertainment, Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films (EFO Films)
Crystal Lake Troubles Behind the Scenes
Crystal Lake was first announced back in 2022, with Bryan Fuller set to helm the series. Fuller’s work on Hannibal, Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, and American Gods certainly got fans excited, but fans of Fuller’s work also know he doesn’t tend to stay on for very long and either departs early in a series run or even before it gets off the ground – as was the case with Star Trek: Discovery. After months of rumors of trouble behind the scenes regarding Crystal Lake, in May 2024, Fuller was let go from the series. Reports suggest that Fuller’s vision did not mesh with what Peacock and A24 were looking for, with the two sides clashing on many aspects of the series.
While fans will never fully know what Fuller had planned for Crystal Lake, there’s still a certain level of excitement for what Brad Caleb Kane will bring to the series. This will be the first new entry in the Friday the 13th franchise since the reboot, which was released 15 years ago. This is the longest gap in time for a new entry in the franchise, beating the previous eight-year gap between 1993’s Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday and 2002’s Jason X. The closest thing fans have gotten is this summer’s In a Violent Nature, which might as well be an honorary Friday the 13th film.
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Original Friday the 13th Director Cuts Down Hopes of a New Jason Movie Coming Soon
With the Friday The 13th franchise finally out of legal limbo, Sean S. Cunningham says the biggest obstacle is a studio taking chance on another film.
Part of the delay was due to the legal battle behind the scenes between original writer Vic Miller and Friday the 13th producer Sean S. Cunningham. The rights to the property now seem to be split, with Miller allowed to use anything from his original Friday the 13th script, which is the foundation for the Crystal Lake series. Cunningham, meanwhile, has the rights to the Jason Voorhees hockey mask-wielding killer, as Jason did not become the main slasher until the sequel and didn’t get his trademark hockey mask until Friday the 13th Part III. Even though it might be some time until Crystal Lake debuts, recent horror revivals like 2018’s Halloween and this summer’s Alien: Romulus have shown that revivals of these legendary franchises still have an audience.