Crystal Lake, the Friday the 13th prequel series, suffers a setback with the exit of its showrunners. It was announced in 2022 that Peacock was moving forward on a TV prequel to the iconic Jason Voorhees movie franchise, which began with the 1980 movie directed by Sean Cunningham. Bryan Fuller, known for creating seminal series such as Pushing Daisies and the Hannibal television adaptation, was tapped to spearhead the project produced by A24.

Taking to social media, Fuller announced that he was parting ways with the Friday the 13th series over creative differences. In the caption to his Instagram post, Fuller wrote about his experience with adaptating classic horror stories, such as Hannibal, and shared: “These shows require a vision that elevates and transforms, as well as delivers what audiences have come to expect, which is an ambitious and risky endeavor.”

He goes on to mention that he’s proud of what he’s accomplished with showrunner Jim Danger Gray, who has collaborated with Fuller in the past. The post concludes with the following: “For reasons beyond our control, A24 has elected to go a different way with the material.” Reports have since noted that work on Crystal Lake continues, and a search for a new showrunner is underway.

After A Promising Start, This Friday The 13th Show Has Struggled

It Was First Announced In 2022, With A Complicated Legal Backstory

Crystal Lake was first announced on Halloween 2022, with a wink to the franchise’s place in horror movie history. It was given a straight-to-series order, which is often seen as a sign of confidence within the industry. With the backing of A24, Fuller was set to write and executive produce the project. Victor Miller, who wrote the original screenplay of the original movie, Marc Toberoff, Miller’s copyright attorney, and Rob Barsamian, who produced the original, were also announced as executive producers.

The Peacock show came about as the result of a complicated Friday the 13th legal battle involving Toberoff, Miller, and Barsamian. The case saw Miller winning the rights to the character, which allowed him to license the prequel series. But well over a year after the project was announced, it had only been announced that Adrienne King, who played Alice Hardy in the original film, had been cast in an undisclosed recurring role. It was also announced that Kevin Williamson, who wrote the first two Scream movies, would also pen one episode of the Crystal Lake prequel.

Now, the show has lost its key creatives. Despite the setback, reports ensure that Crystal Lake is continuing to move forward, but the news likely serves as a disappointment for those who have enjoyed Fuller’s work on Hannibal and hoped that he would bring his style to the Friday the 13th franchise. For long-time devotees of the franchise, there is sure to be a lot of attention paid to the announcement of the next showrunner and what they might bring to the project.

Source: Bryan Fuller