Crystal Lake Loses Beloved Showrunner, Friday The 13th Prequel Series In Danger?

Horror fans first learned of the series when it was announced in 2022. At that time, Peacock granted Crystal Lake a direct-to-series contract, with A24 studio joining as the production partner. Fuller, acclaimed for his work on series such as Hannibal, American Gods, and Pushing Daisies, was selected to serve as the writer, showrunner, and executive producer.

It’s a surprising turn of events for Fuller to leave the series. As he wrote on his X and Instagram posts today, he’s a showrunner with a wealth of experience adapting horror classics for television. Fuller explained that shows like Crystal Lake, which is based on the classic horror film Friday the 13th, require a vision from someone willing to transform the source material into something new while at the same time delivering a product fans will be excited to watch.

Fuller explained that adaptations like Crystal Lake are “ambitious and risky” and that it requires the team involved in the project to take a leap of faith and trust his vision. Which, apparently, Peacock and A24 did not.

Continuing in his post explaining why he’s no longer a part of Crystal Lake, Fuller explained how creating these new stories from classic horror tales can create powerful experiences, as in his series Hannibal. Hannibal, based on Silence of the Lambs, delves into the initial bond between esteemed psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter and a fledgling FBI criminal profiler, whose unsettling talent for empathizing with serial killers plagues him. The series won a Saturn Award for Best Network Television Series in 2014 and 2015 and was nominated for an Emmy for its Outstanding Special Visual Effects in 2016.

Despite his impressive track record, A24 decided to go a different route for Crystal Lake. Fuller was cordial while announcing the disappointing news on social media and stated their wish for the final product to be something the fans of the original Friday the 13th will enjoy.

But just because Fuller is off the project doesn’t mean that Crystal Lake is not going to be made. Peacock and A24 are running at full speed ahead, and we’ll likely catch wind of a new showrunner in the coming weeks. As of now, the series has not yet started production.

As the series moves forward, it won’t be losing the entirety of the original team. The original Friday the 13th writer, Victor Miller, is still on the project. He will be working with Marc Toberoff and Rob Barsamian as executive producer for Crystal Lake.

As for what the plot for Crystal Lake will entail, we still don’t know. The series has been kept tight under wraps. And in all likelihood, the studio is still working out the story details as a new showrunner comes on board.