Crystal Lake Cast, Showrunner, Writer, Plot And More Details

In 1980, "Friday the 13th" smashed its way into theaters, terrifying audiences and creating the demand for an immediate sequel. The next year, horror hounds were properly introduced to the fully grown Jason Voorhees, an all-time slasher villain who loves killing teenagers almost as much as he loves his momma. The hulking bruiser would kick off an entire franchise where he 1) would eventually don his iconic hockey mask, 2) gross millions of dollars against shoestring budgets, 3) and become a permanent part of the pop culture landscape.

Of course, it's been a long time since we've seen our machete-wielding friend. Due to a longstanding legal battle over rights, Jason hasn't been on the big screen since 2009. However, it looks like the hockey mask-wearing monster is now setting his sights on the small screen. Yep, Jason Voorhees is heading to streaming! Sure, this isn't the first time there's been a "Friday the 13th" TV show, but it'll be the first time a "Friday the 13th" TV show has focused on actual characters from the movies. (The first one was about an antique shop filled with cursed items, which is weird.)

But what exactly do we know about this upcoming series? Well, final girls, read on for everything you need to know about Peacock's "Crystal Lake" series.

At this point, there's no official release date for "Crystal Lake." However, we do have a rough idea of when we might possibly return to the bloody world of Jason Voorhees. In March 2023, "Friday the 13th" star and "Crystal Lake" cast member Adrienne King took to Instagram and posted a photo of herself alongside showrunner Bryan Fuller. In her message celebrating the upcoming show, she wrote "#Coming2024." Of course, we're willing to bet the series has been delayed a bit by the recently resolved SAG-AFTRA strike and WGA strike, but fingers crosses that the slasher series will rise from the depths of Crystal Lake soon and unleash carnage all over its new home — the streaming service Peacock.

Speaking with Fangoria, showrunner Bryan Fuller has described "Crystal Lake" as "less a prequel series than a ... pre-remake-uel series." We're not exactly sure what that means, but we expect it will serve as some sort of an origin story for the big bad Jason Voorhees. After all, Fuller also told Fangoria, "I think over the course of the series you will see many familiar manifestations of Jason!" Plus, according to Fandom editor Eric Goldman, showrunner Bryan Fuller was asked in January 2023 whether or not Jason's mom, Pamela Voorhees, would be a part of the show. His response? "We're honestly going to be covering it all. The series is covering the life and times of these two characters." According to Goldman, "these two characters" is seemingly in reference to Pamela and her kill-crazy son.

Jason's mother Pamela (the late Betsy Palmer) — who famously does all the killing in the very first movie — also provides us with some details about Jason that can help us glean a bit more information about what to expect from the series. According to Pamela, Jason drowned in 1959 due to the negligence of teenage counselors at Camp Crystal Lake, after which Mrs. Voorhees killed them both. In other words, it seems reasonable to guess that "Crystal Lake" will be the "Friday the 13th" answer to A&E's "Bates Motel," not only acquainting us with how a young boy becomes a vicious killer but with the role his own messed-up mother plays in shaping him, too. 

At this point, we know very little about who Jason is going to slice and dice. However, we do know that a "Friday the 13th" icon will have a recurring role in the series. According to Fandom editor Eric Goldman, Bryan Fuller has announced that the one and only Adrienne King will appear in "Crystal Lake." King is the OG "Friday the 13th" final girl, having played the character of Alice Hardy in the original 1980 film. If you recall, Alice went toe to toe with Pamela Voorhees, lopping off the lunatic's head with a machete. 

Of course, Alice was then murdered by Jason in the opening moments of "Friday the 13th Part 2," so we're not exactly sure how an older King will reprise the character. Of course, it's very possible that Fuller might decide to pick and choose what bits he's keeping from the movies, similar to how he played with the Thomas Harris novels for his "Hannibal" series. It's also possible that King might be portraying someone other than Alice. Similarly, we aren't sure who will be playing a certain sweater-wearing, counselor-killing mom or her murderous boy, but we'll update you as soon as we find out.

When it comes to the "Crystal Lake" series, the head camp counselor is none other than Bryan Fuller. Well-known in the world of television, he's worked on shows like "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager," and he was the creator of "Star Trek: Discovery." He was the showrunner on the first season of "American Gods" and has crafted series like "Pushing Daisies" and "Dead Like Me."

Fuller also has a solid pedigree in horror. He wrote the screenplay for NBC's 2002 television adaptation of "Carrie," and he was also the writer, developer, and executive producer for another horror icon's backstory — NBC's "Hannibal." He also produced the four-part Shudder documentary "Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror," and he plans on putting his own spin on a creepy classic, with a remake of John Carpenter's "Christine."

As showrunner, executive producer, and writer, Fuller's specific touch will be all over this series. And it sounds like he's had thoughts about Jason's origins kicking around his head for some time. "I discovered 'Friday the 13th' in the pages of 'Famous Monsters' magazine when I was 10 years old," said Fuller in the press release, "and I have been thinking about this story ever since."

Joining Fuller as executive producers, we'll also see Victor Miller, writer of the original "Friday the 13th" screenplay, and Rob Barsamian, one of the original film's producers. This will mark the first time Miller and Barsamian have collaborated on a "Friday the 13th" story since the very beginning of the franchise. In fact, Miller and Barsamian have been at loggerheads in recent years, embroiled in a legal battle over who exactly created and owns the character of Jason Voorhees. Intellectual property attorney Marc Toberoff, who helped resolve matters, is also listed as EP.

Bryan Fuller will serve as a writer on "Crystal Lake," which is great news. He's an incredibly talented scribe, and he's penned episodes for his other shows like "Hannibal," "American Gods," and "Pushing Daisies." However, he won't be the only one writing for the series, as we know a true horror GOAT will be working on at least one episode. 

Kevin Williamson is being brought on board "Crystal Lake," and if you don't recognize that name, you'll definitely recognize his work. Williamson changed the horror game in 1996 with his screenplay for "Scream," taking things to new meta levels. He also wrote the screenplays for "Scream 2," "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "The Faculty," "Scream 4," and the recent "Sick." In other words, Williamson knows a thing or two about psychos who love chopping people up.

When "Crystal Lake" finally breaks down the cabin door and lumbers onto your TV screen, it'll do so on Peacock. However, the NBC streaming service isn't the only company involved with the "Friday the 13th" series. "Crystal Lake" is bringing in the big guns, as it's being produced by A24.

Yeah, that's right — we're talking the studio behind horror hits such as "Hereditary," "Talk to Me," "The Witch," and "Midsommar." That's also the studio behind not-so-scary fare such as "Lady Bird," "Moonlight," and "Everything Everywhere All at Once." So ... what is A24 doing with a TV show?

Well, A24 actually has a TV arm, which has been behind some pretty popular — and controversial series — such as Netflix's "Beef," Sam Levinson's "The Idol," and HBO's "Euphoria." Most recently, they were involved with the Nathan Fielder/Emma Stone satire "The Curse." With this studio combining forces with Bryan Fuller, we can expect something truly visionary when "Crystal Lake" starts its murder spree.

"Crystal Lake" is looking like something of a "Friday the 13th" reunion, with actress Adrienne King, writer Victor Miller, and producer Rob Barsamian all returning to the franchise they helped kickstart. However, there may be another "Friday the 13th" legend in the mix, one who will take the series to bloody new levels.

In April 2023, showrunner Bryan Fuller posted a pic on Twitter showing himself alongside the one and only Tom Savini. The photo was accompanied with the caption, "Talking stabby calendar days with O.G. @THETomSavini." Horror fans know that Savini is one of the genre's greatest effects artists, having worked on projects like "Dawn of the Dead," "Creepshow," and "The Burning." He's also played in movies like "From Dusk Till Dawn" and directed the 1990 remake of "Night of the Living Dead."

Perhaps most famously, Savini did the effects for the first "Friday the 13th" film, a movie that has no shortage of great kills. Savini also worked on "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter," which is widely considered to be one of the very best Jason Voorhees movies. If Savini is indeed joining the "Crystal Lake" team, then we can't wait to see what gory gags he has in store.