Crystal Lake “Can Use Everything” from Friday the 13th: Bryan Fuller

Fans of the “Friday the 13th” franchise received a surprising Halloween treat on Monday with the news that Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and A24 were teaming up for a prequel series titled Crystal Lake. Most assumed that the series would feature Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer in the original film), Jason’s mother & the killer in the very first Friday the 13th film. But beyond that, fans were skeptical about just how much of the beloved franchise could be used, considering the litigation hell that the franchise has been in for some time. Now, thanks to the fine folks at Fangoria, we have some clarification on the matter directly from Fuller- and it sounds like fans really do have a right to be excited. Here’s a look at the highlights:

Fuller Says They “Can Use Everything” from the Franchise: “Everything. We can use everything. We can go to Hell, we can go to space. That’s not to say that we will do those things … although if we do go 10 seasons, I will be lobbying hard to go to space [laughs]. A24 and Marc Toberoff, who is Victor Miller’s lawyer, have beautifully and excruciatingly assembled all of the ‘Friday the 13th’ rights. As a streaming series, we have the rights to do everything underneath the ‘Friday the 13th’ umbrella. The movie rights are a completely different thing. They are tied up at New Line and are super, super messy and probably won’t be untangled anytime soon, but as far as us chickens in the television industry… uh… roost, we have access to anything and everything that ‘Friday the 13th’ has done up until this point.”

So Where On the “Friday the 13th” Timeline Does “Crystal Lake” Fall? “I don’t think I’m allowed to say just yet, but I would say it’s less a prequel series than a … ‘pre-remake-uel’ series” (sorry, but Fuller can’t explain what that means, at least “not on the record”).

Since It’s a Prequel, Jason Won’t Be In It… Right? “I wouldn’t count Jason out,” Fuller teased. “I think over the course of the series, you will see many familiar manifestations of Jason.”

Fuller is set to write and serve as showrunner for Peacock’s Crystal Lake and will also executive produce alongside A24, Marc Toberoff, Victor Miller, and Rob Barsamian (with A24 serving as the producing studio). “Friday the 13th is one of the most iconic horror franchises in movie history, and we were dying to revisit this story with our upcoming drama series Crystal Lake,” shared Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television & Streaming. “We can’t wait to get to work with Bryan Fuller, a gifted, visionary creator who I’ve had the pleasure of being a longtime friend and collaborator, along with our incredible partners at A24, in this updated version for Peacock that will thrill long-standing fans of the franchise.”