Last week, horror fans were blindsided by the news that A24 and Peacock’s long-gestating Friday the 13th prequel series, Crystal Lake, was parting ways with its showrunner, Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller. The reasons behind the split were somewhat nebulous – at first, the rumors suggested that A24 had pulled the plug on the show completely, which was followed shortly thereafter by an Instagram post from Fuller which seemed to imply that creative differences were to blame and that the show would go on. The plug hadn’t been entirely pulled on Crystal Lake, perhaps, but it would be proceeding without the input of the guy who pitched the show in the first place.
This was, unfortunately, just the latest setback for fans of the Friday the 13th franchise. Thanks to the mind-boggling amount of legal red tape that has long surrounded the property, a new movie featuring Jason Voorhees has not been seen in theaters since 2009, and Crystal Lake was our best hope yet for getting a much-needed Friday the 13th fix.
Well, according to the good folks over at IGN, that will soon change. Sort of. Says IGN:
“IGN can exclusively report that Horror, Inc. is expanding the Friday the 13th franchise into a new era with the launch of Jason Universe. New Friday the 13th activations will span a wide range of platforms from entertainment, games, immersive experiences, merchandise and more to be announced throughout 2024 via @JasonUniverse13 on social media or by visiting the official Jason Universe website.”
Yes, that’s right: rather than a new feature film or Bryan Fuller’s highly-anticipated Crystal Lake, fans can now look forward to “a new era” of Friday the 13th “activations,” which will roll out via “entertainment, games, immersive experiences, merchandise and more.” If you’re thinking that sounds like a somewhat ill-defined description (“entertainment?”), well, this writer happens to agree with you.
Perhaps there’ll be more detail in the quotes accompanying this news. Says Robert Barsamian, executive producer on both the still-in-the-works Crystal Lake and 2017’s Friday the 13th: The Game, in addition to being the President of Horror, Inc.:
“For decades, Jason shocked and thrilled audiences who kept coming back for more. We’re excited to work with Victor Miller and Marc Toberoff on new projects we’ll announce in the coming months. We’re focused on honoring the legacy while elevating the fan experience and appealing to today’s horror audiences as we develop new ways to watch, interact and engage with the Jason Universe.”
Adds Sheri Conn, Global GM of Horror, Inc.:
“With the unique ability to remain at the forefront of pop culture for 44 years, Jason continues to top charts as one of the scariest villains of all time with strong global awareness across multiple generations thanks to billions of TikTok views plus millions and millions of gamers and movie fans. We can’t wait to introduce new Jason Universe activations to these amazing fans.”
As of this writing, the above represents the sum total of information we have concerning the forthcoming “Jason Universe.” At its most specific, it seems to indicate that Friday the 13th activations are en route (we’re guessing that means you should keep an eye out for one at, say, this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, or any number of horror conventions happening this year). What those activations will entail is anyone’s guess. Beyond that, we are told there might also be games and merchandise. Again, this pitch seems to be casting a very wide net.
Nothing further to report on the Jason Universe at this time, but we are certainly interested to see what shakes out of all this. We also remain very curious to see what will become of Crystal Lake, and who might step into Fuller’s shoes to bring that show to television. Stay tuned for updates on all of that as they roll in, folks. We’ll see you at the next Friday the 13th activation.
