Peacock has finally confirmed the release date for Friday the 13th’s upcoming prequel series, Crystal Lake. After decades in development hell, Crystal Lake will finally release on Peacock on October 15, 2026.
Linda Cardellini will star as Pamela Voorhees, while Callum Vinson will play her son and iconic horror villain: Jason Voorhees. Vinson is also set to play Atreus in the upcoming God of War TV series on Prime Video.
Exact plot details are under wraps, but it’s expected that the show will follow the Voorhees family before Jason drowns in the lake and the treacherous events that follow. The show will have eight episodes, but it’s unclear if Peacock has larger multi-season plans in store for the show.
The origins of the series date back to the early 2000s, when Friday the 13th director Sean S. Cunningham suggested he was interested in a coming-of-age spin-off show set around the town of Crystal Lake, akin to a show like Smallville or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The show was eventually developed for The CW, who passed on the show after feeling it was too dark and was unsustainable as a long-running TV series.
Eventually, the series was resurrected by A24 for streaming. Following interruptions from the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and a creative overhaul, Crystal Lake began shooting last summer. Now, it is finally almost here. The last Friday the 13th film was released in 2009, but complicated rights issues have created a bottleneck when it comes to developing new films. However, it seems things have gotten worked out as there is a new Friday the 13th film in the works.
Additionally, an online Friday the 13th video game was released in 2017. Unfortunately, rights issues led to the game’s eventual shutdown, which frustrated the loyal fanbase of the game. A new game is in development as part of the “Jason Universe,” an initiative to create new Friday the 13th projects. It’s unclear if this new video game will be a successor to the 2017 game or something entirely new.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
