Linda Cardellini has been cast as the lead character in Peacock’s Friday the 13th prequel series, Crystal Lake, which takes its name from the summer camp where young Jason Voorhees met his ignominious end at the hands of the bullying camp counselors. Per Variety, Cardellini will be playing Pamela Voorhees, Jason’s mom who – 45 year old spoiler alert ahead – is the actual killer in the original 1980 film, taking revenge on her son’s tormentors.
1981’s Friday the 13th Part 2 quickly pivoted to having Jason himself take on the role of the franchise’s iconic killer as a supernatural, hockey-mask-clad, hulking revenant who can take – and dish out – no end of brutal punishment. Jason Voorhees helped codify the concept of the slasher movie killer, going on to inspire numerous imitators across pop culture, and even going head-to-head against the genre’s other top slasher, Freddy Krueger.
Now, Peacock’s Crystal Lake streaming series will follow the modern trend of revisiting the classics with more involved prequel stories. The series is produced by A24, known for its offbeat psychological dramas and horror movies, with Brad Kaleb Kane serving as showrunner.
Cardellini is known for her roles in Freaks and Geeks, Scooby-Doo, and in the Avengers franchise, among many others. She’s described as the main character of Crystal Lake, which will presumably explore the circumstances around how she’s driven to become a bloodthirsty murderer.
Crystal Lake was originally picked up straight to series by Peacock back in 2022, with development slow to progress since. No premiere date has been set.
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