Talks With Linda Cardellini Seemingly Become Another Dark Rumor For The Possibly Cursed ‘Friday the 13th’ Prequel Series ‘Crystal Lake’
Things have been All Quiet on the Lakefront since the announcement last week that actor Linda Cardellini (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Endgame, Freaks and Geeks) was in talks to star as murderous matriarch Pamela Voorhees in the upcoming series Crystal Lake. However, nothing has yet been confirmed, and the same can be said about the entire show itself.
The Peacock and A24-produced project is to serve as a prequel to the much beloved (and already a little bloated) Friday The 13th franchise, and it has been the subject of rumors, showrunner changes, and uncertainty within the fanbase ever since the initial announcement (via Variety) all the way back in 2022.
To the point where the latter cannot help but wonder if the series isn’t jinxed, much like the fabled campground of wholesale death (and intermittent, unilateral resurrections) that it intends to present to horror fans on the small screen. Does this mean that Crystal Lake has an actual death curse? You be the judge.
There was somewhat of a mixed response when journalist Jeff Sneider (through his InSneider site) broke the news that Cardellini had been approached to be in the slasher series. Most of it has little to do with the casting choice, but rather what that says about the direction (or the lack thereof) they’re taking the 45-year-old franchise, especially after producer Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies) stepped down as showrunner in May of last year:
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“For reasons beyond our control,” Fuller announced on his X account “A24 has elected to go a different way with the material. We hope the final product will be something Friday the 13th fans all over the world will enjoy.”
Three months after his departure, it was announced that Brad Caleb Kane (Warrior, Tokyo Vice, IT: Welcome to Derry) would pick up the machete, and take Fuller’s place as series showrunner/executive producer. Kane appears to be very happy about his new head counselor position, and he wasn’t afraid to share his joy publicly.
“From the moment I watched Jason Voorhees squeeze a guy’s eyeball out of its socket (in glorious 3D!) at the tender age of 8 years old,” Kane said in a statement via Deadline. “I knew my creative path was someday destined to converge with The Man Behind The Mask.”
The rumors don’t stop there, campers! Before Bryan Fuller’s resignation, the “Final Girl” in the original Friday the 13th film (and “First Girl” in Friday the 13th part 2) Adrienne King revealed that she would be returning to the franchise all the way back in 2023.
Happy Friday Campers!” King shared via Instagram. “Bryan Fuller, our bloody brilliant Head Counselor/Producer of CRYSTAL LAKE, the upcoming series & I had another exciting meeting filling me in on what’s in store for us at Camp Blood! Always a joy & can’t wait until I’m able share some details!”
After this, nothing but silence, and conjecture.
The original Friday the 13th was released in 1980, and (on the outside chance someone out there doesn’t already know) it’s about a group of counselors at Camp Crytal Lake who end up on the business end of a knife-wielding maniac’s quest for revenge.
This classic helped initiate the Slasher genre that permeated the entire decade while spawning nine sequels, a literal death match with fellow 80s horror icon Freddy Krueger in 2003, and a less-than-great remake with decent kill scenes in 2009.
On top of this, the film’s sequels gave the horror world a brand new hero in Jason Voorhees. A mythical woodsman who believes in preserving nature, professionalism in the workplace, and the purity of pre-marital abstinence. With a firm hand (and a killer aim), Jason has enlightened all who have set foot in his domain and taught them lessons that will never be forgotten, or at least by those who survived the encounter.
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This would cause widespread fear and superstition among those unfortunate enough to live near the haunted forest which led to it earning the moniker “Camp Blood,” given by visiting outsiders who are too young, and pretty, to heed grim warnings.
That’s something which appears to be the same with this upcoming prequel series, but there is still nothing set in stone (or perhaps wood, in this case) about when the series will take place.
Whether it will be before young Jason drowns in 1958, or around the time of the first Crystal Lake murders the following year that opened the original movie, it’s pretty obvious that we won’t be getting a series with adult Jason showing all the ways he snuffs out the wildfires raging within the dopey, amorous teenagers trespassing on his property.
This series already looks doomed, but that won’t stop most from diving into Crystal Lake when the season finally (or ever) comes. One can only hope that they won’t have the nerve to be surprised when they fall victim to the horror that lurks beneath the water’s surface.
The original Friday the 13th is available to watch for free on Pluto.
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