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Linda Cardellini has booked a killer new role.
The Dead to Me star is set to play Pam Voorhees in Peacock’s Friday the 13th expanded prequel drama series Crystal Lake.
Fans of the long-running slasher series will know that the original 1980 film that started it all followed a group of teenage camp counselors who are murdered one by one by a serial killer while they are trying to reopen Camp Crystal Lake, an abandoned summer destination where a young boy drowned.
The film’s end reveals that the killer is none other than Pamela Voorhees, played by Betsy Palmer, who wanted to avenge the death of her son, Jason, who she believes drowned while counselors were having sex instead of watching him, and to stop the camp from ever reopening. The slasher also starred Kevin Bacon, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Jeannine Taylor, and Mark Nelson.
The original Friday the 13th, directed by Sean S. Cunningham and written by Victor Miller, made an, ahem, killing at the box office — grossing nearly $60 million against a reported budget of just $550,000. There are 12 films in the franchise to date, including a 2009 remake, a Nightmare on Elm Street crossover Freddy vs. Jason, and various sequels. Starting with the second film, Jason became the main antagonist of the series, eventually donning the iconic hockey mask for which his character is now known in the third movie.
Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Not much else is known about the Crystal Lake series, but Brad Caleb Kane (It: Welcome to Derry, Tokyo Vice, Warrior) will serve as creator, writer, showrunner, and executive producer. A24 is also executive producing. Miller is also onboard as an executive producer along with Marc Toberoff, Robert M. Barsamian, Robert P. Barsamian, and Stuart Manashil. A24 is the studio.
The series has been in production hell for a number of years. It was first announced in October 2022, with Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) announced at the time as showrunner, writer, and executive producer. He later departed the project, citing creative differences, and it was announced that Kane was taking over those duties in August 2024.
Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
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“Friday the 13th is one of the most iconic horror franchises in movie history and we were dying to revisit this story with our upcoming drama series Crystal Lake,” Susan Rovner, chairman of entertainment at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in a statement at the time of the series’ pickup.
It’s unclear when Crystal Lake will start production, but in the meantime, Cardellini is currently filming the female lead role in Max series DTF St. Louis, opposite Jason Bateman and David Harbour.
