Happy campers? More like dying campers.
Just in time for Halloween, Peacock has announced that it has gone straight to series in Crystal Lake, a prequel drama based on the hit Friday the 13th horror film franchise.
Bryan Fuller, the prolific TV creator behind shows like American Gods and Star Trek: Discovery, will write, direct and produce the series, which will be produced by A24, the studio known for blockbuster movies like Everything Everywhere All at Eleven and this year’s horror punch, X and Pearl.
Friday the 13th is the horror franchise that launched in 1980 and gave the world Jason Voorhees, the hockey-masked slasher who kills mostly on the green and idyllic grounds of Camp Crystal Lake (except for the rare excursion in New York or in outer space). ).
The movies spawned a TV series once before, as well as novels, video games, and a slew of merchandise as the franchise became part of pop culture.
The IP also became embroiled in complex rights deals when it moved from Paramount to New Line and was caught up in a years-long copyright dispute between the original film’s director and producer Sean S. Cunningham and original screenwriter Victor Miller.
In May, Miller emerged victorious, giving him control over the original script and characters, but not over the Friday the 13th title or the concept of a grown-up Jason or even the hockey mask, which only went away introduce in the third film.
Miller; Marc Toberoff, the copyright attorney who represented Miller in the case; and Rob Barsamian are executive producers on the Peacock show, which is described as a drama and can be compared to Bates Motel, the A&E series that ran from 2013 to 2017 and served as a prequel to the 1960s horror classic. ‘Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho.
Barsamian is the current holder of the rights not found in Miller’s briefcase, including the title and mask. This indicates that the two parties are now working together on this project and that these items could appear at some point.
“I discovered Friday the 13th in the pages of Famous Monsters magazine when I was 10 years old and have been thinking about this story ever since,” Fuller said in a statement. “When it comes to horror, A24 raises the bar and pushes the envelope and I’m excited to explore the Crystal Lake Campgrounds under their banner. And [NBCUniversal’s] Susan Rovner is simply the best at what she does. It’s a pleasure and an honor to work with her again.”
For his part, Fuller has had a colorful career. He is perhaps best known for critically acclaimed but ratings-challenged favorites such as Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies (on which he worked with Rovner during his tenure at Warner Bros. TV), Dead Like Me and Hannibal. He developed Star Trek: Discovery, American Gods, and Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and was let go or abandoned due to various factors. Most recently, he produced the docuseries Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror. In keeping with the spirit of Halloween, Fuller pre-developed The Munsters Mockingbird Lane reboot for NBC, which eventually aired as a network special.
“Friday the 13th is one of the most iconic horror franchises in film history, and we’re dying to revisit that story with our upcoming drama series Crystal Lake,” said Rovner, president of entertainment content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming . “We can’t wait to work with Bryan Fuller, a visionary and gifted creator who I’ve had the pleasure of being a longtime friend and collaborator, along with our incredible partners at A24, on this updated version of Peacock than to excite longtime fans of the franchise.”
Fuller is repped by WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
Lesley Goldberg contributed to this story.
Updated Oct. 31 at 4:23 p.m. to clarify Barsamian’s involvement and rights status.