In 2022, A24 and Peacock announced that they would be teaming up to produce Crystal Lake, a Friday the 13th television series, but the latest update on the show is concerning. Despite being one of the most well-known franchises in horror, it’s been 15 years since a new Friday the 13th film was released. This makes the franchise overdue for a continuation. A24 and Peacock have both had massive success in the horror genre, making them perfect choices to bring this iconic series back from the dead. However, it seems like Crystal Lake‘s production is facing some major issues.

The series is reported to be a prequel to the original Friday the 13th. It was announced that the show would be produced by Bryan Fuller, the showrunner behind horror hits like Hannibal and Dead Like Me, and would feature Adrienne King, who played the final girl in the original Friday the 13th. Despite this team of horror icons, the production has been plagued by problems, including rumors of the project being scrapped. According to a report from Bloody Disgusting, the show hasn’t been canceled just yet, but A24 has paused production in order to “retool” the series.

Crystal Lake “Retooling” Is Not A Good Sign For The Friday The 13th Prequel Show

It Suggests There Were Serious Issues With The Show

Generally, pausing a project that’s just a few months away from production to retool the script is a bad sign. It suggests that there were massive problems that weren’t able to be fixed before production began. It’s possible that the 2023 writer’s strike affected the show’s timeline, but it’s doubtful that production would still be affected by that. Although so far, no information has been released about what exactly Crystal Lake is trying to retool, major changes in the script are likely needed if A24 was willing to pause such a high-profile project.

This delay becomes even more concerning considering writer, showrunner, and executive producer Bryan Fuller’s history of exiting projects – both before and during production. Just in the past few years, Fuller exited Amazing Stories and American Gods abruptly, and both shows suffered from it. Fuller is producing multiple horror projects right now, which is great news for fans of his work but could put a strain on production. Hopefully he can continue his work as planned. A major change in leadership at this point in development would be extremely difficult for Crystal Lake to recover from.

Why There’s Been So Many Issues With The Friday The 13th Franchise Since 2009

The Franchise Has Gone Through A Lot Of Changes

Although Friday the 13th is one of the most successful horror franchises in history, its productions have faced a lot of issues, especially in recent years. After the box office success of 2009’s Friday the 13th reboot, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that they would be continuing the franchise. However, the project was canceled less than a year later due to a rights issue. Even though 2009’s Friday the 13th was distributed by Warner Bros., portions of the franchise are owned by Paramount and New Line Cinema. This caused too many disputes during production and the film was scrapped.

Since the first Friday the 13th film in 1980, there have been 12 movies, a television series, and dozens of novels and comic books. While the original film followed a simple slasher format, the later movies had more supernatural elements, including Jason’s resurrection and trips to outer space and hell. The focus on Jason as the main character, rather than his victims, also makes it challenging to fit the franchise into the “legacyquel” format that most horror franchises are leaning into today. This makes it difficult to imagine how a continuation of the series would be received.

Why There’s Still Hope For Friday The 13th’s Future

Although things might look grim for Crystal Lake right now, there is still hope that the series can find its footing, especially with such a strong production team behind it. A24 has become one of the most reliable studios for horror films lately, and they seem to be continuing their hot streak with their upcoming film Maxxxine, which pays homage to 1980s horror hits like Friday the 13th. Surprisingly, Peacock has also become a great studio for horror. Their Chucky series has been a hit with fans and critics, and suggests that Crystal Lake could also find the same success.

It was also announced that Kevin Williamson, the writer behind the original Scream film, was on board to write for Crystal Lake. This would give the series a massive advantage. Williamson recently worked with Peacock on 2022’s Sick, which was praised for being a fresh take on the slasher genre. He’s also repeatedly proven that he can help a classic horror franchise navigate a reboot. The recent Scream films have been hugely successful, and although Williamson wasn’t directly involved in the 2015 Scream television series, it could serve as a blueprint for how to revive Friday the 13th.