The CW Heading to Crystal Lake – ‘Friday the 13th’ Series in Development
The CW are heading to Camp Crystal Lake with their latest project as they confirm plans to develop Friday the 13th, a horror/drama series based on the popular horror franchise.
As the Inquisitr reported previously, the CW were in talks to bring a re-imagined Jason Voorhees to the small screen. According to Deadline, Mark Pedowitz has confirmed the rumors this week. The series adaptation, through CBS TV Studios, will be written by Steve Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle, the brains behind the 1996 NBC series The Pretender.
The Friday the 13th series first came about last year when Crystal Lake Entertainment and Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films negotiated a deal to produce a dramatic series based on Camp Crystal Lake, other settings, and the characters. Sean S. Cunningham, who directed the 1980 original and hinted at interest from The CW earlier this year, will be an executive producer on the project.
The CW, who currently helm successful comic book adaptations Arrow and The Flash, have kept the details scarce as development rolls along. If The CW follows suit on Friday the 13th, you can expect to see Jason Voorhees grounded in reality with a hefty back story. Details are to be confirmed, but rumors of multiple time periods (which will see Jason in various stages of his child/teenage/adult life) and a contemporary feel have been pitched, the latter involving multiple characters who are forced to confront Jason on his return to his tainted home, Crystal Lake, as we discover new details and secrets about the Voorhees family.
The CW are also developing a series based on Little Women, Frequency and The Notebook, the latter confirmed by Den of Geek.
As well as the series, Paramount are also developing a new Friday the 13th movie, with David Bruckner on directorial duties. Bloody Disgusting recently provided an update on the film itself, which is due for release on May 13, 2016. Hannibal writer, Nick Antosca, has been working on the script.
Since its debut in 1980, Friday the 13th has produced twelve movies, the last of which was Marcus Nispel’s reboot in 2009. During the 80’s, plans to kill the franchise off culminated in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, the fourth movie in the original canon. Due to overwhelming popularity the franchise was reignited with Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (where Jason was “replaced” by a new killer) and then Friday the 13th: Jason Lives (where Jason was finally revived).
The Friday the 13th series remains in development. Whatever the future of the series – or movie – it’s pretty clear there’s a lot of popularity in the franchise yet. Jason lives? Without a doubt.
[Images – legionofleia.com and thelowdownunder.com]
