After spending over 15 years lying dormant at the bottom of a lake due to complicated rights issues relating to the character, Jason Voorhees is finally set to return to terrorize a new group of teenage camp councillors.
But before Jason gets to don his signature hockey mask and machete combo, his mother will be the one doing the slaying..
Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane (Welcome to Derry) has now announced that production has officially wrapped on Friday The 13th prequel series Crystal Lake, which is set to star Linda Cardellini (Freaks and Geeks, Scooby-Doo) as Jason's mother. This take on Pamela Voorhees is described as "a mother who had given up a singing career to raise a special needs child and takes a dark turn when she loses her son."
Chucky and Long Bright River star Callum Vinson will play Jason as a child, and the cast also includes Nick Cordileone (Warrior), Joy Suprano (Fleishman is in Trouble), Danielle Kotch (Director’s Cut), and Phoenix Parnevik (Bel-Air) as future Voorhees victims Ralph, Rita, Claudette, and Barry.
“Crystal Lake wrap party was epic!” Kane writes on Instagram. “I’m madly in love with and totally in awe of this stellar bunch of artists and humans. A fella couldn’t ask for a more talented and wonderful group of collaborators. S1 (almost sorta not quite) done and dusted. More please and thank you.”
Kane shared the following statement when he took over as showrunner.
“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, I knew my creative path was someday destined to converge with The Man Behind The Mask. Nothing defined my childhood more than growing up in the golden age of the slasher flick, and nothing’s defined the genre more than Friday the 13th. I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to contribute a chapter to this iconic franchise, particularly with such fearless partners as Peacock and A24.”
From what we can gather, Crystal Lake will focus on Pamela Voorhees plotting her revenge against the camp councillors who weren't paying attention when her son drowned. Whether Jason will be revealed to have survived his accident or return as a resurrected killing machine (the later movies introduced supernatural elements) remains to be seen.
Either way, we assume Jason will eventually pick the mask should the series continue beyond a single season.