Crystal Lake TV series is now filming in the town where the original Friday the 13th was filmed
The town of Blairstown, New Jersey was used as the stand-in for the fictional town of Crystal Lake during the filming of director Sean S. Cunningham’s 1980 classic Friday the 13th – and now, the cast and crew of the Peacock TV series Crystal Lake are filming in the same town, making this the first Friday the 13th project to use Blairstown as Crystal Lake since the original movie! Pictures from the set can be seen below.
On Halloween of 2022, it was announced that original Friday the 13th screenwriter Victor Miller – fresh off winning the U.S. copyright to the 1980 film after a lawsuit that stretched on for years – was teaming up with his lawyer Marc Toberoff, franchise rights holder Rob Barsamian, production company A24, the Peacock streaming service, and showrunner Bryan Fuller (whose credits include Hannibal and Pushing Daisies) to develop Crystal Lake. Things were moving ahead at a good pace, filming was expected to begin last July, but then the project hit a speed bump at the end of April with the firing of Fuller and his frequent collaborator Jim Danger Gray. Things got back on track in late August with the hiring of a new showrunner – and that person is Brad Caleb Kane, who also serves as co-showrunner and executive producer of It: Welcome to Derry, the It prequel series that’s coming soon to HBO. Production officially began in June, with summer camp scenes being filmed in West Milford, New Jersey and lake scenes being filmed in Ringwood, New Jersey. Now, we have Blairstown as downtown Crystal Lake.
The cast of the show includes includes Linda Cardellini (No Good Deed) as Jason Voorhees’ vengeful mother Pamela Voorhees (and she was recently spotted on set), with William Catlett (Black Lightning) as a character named Levon Brooks, who may be Crystal Lake’s chief of police; Devin Kessler (Godfather of Harlem) as Briana Brooks, Cameron Scoggins (Shades of Blue) as Dorf, and Gwendolyn Sundstrom (I’m Beginning to See the Light) as Grace. Friday the 13th fans will recognize the name Dorf, as he was the motorcycle cop who made a visit to Camp Crystal Lake in the original film. Kane confirmed that Dorf is “one of many” legacy characters from the original film who will be showing up in the series. Also recently confirmed to be in the cast are Nancy Nagrant (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Kay Christy, Victoria Russell (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) as Celeste, Natalie Shaw (Daredevil: Born Again) as Pinky, Austin Colby (Pretty Thing) as Shep, Nick Cordileone (Warrior) as Ralph, Joy Suprano (Best Foot Forward) as Rita, Danielle Kotch (Director’s Cut) as Claudette, and Phoenix Parnevik (Bel-Air) as Barry. There are more legacy characters in the mix here, as Ralph is probably the guy who’s better known as Crazy Ralph, and Barry and Claudette were the names of the first two victims in the original Friday the 13th. Callum Vinson (Chucky season 3) plays young Jason Voorhees, with Zachary Branch (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) reportedly appearing in one episode as an adult Jason Voorhees.
In addition to showrunner, Kane will be credited as creator, writer, and executive producer of Crystal Lake. It remains to be seen if he’s using anything from the original Fuller scripts and outlines, or if he scrapped those and started over completely. When he was hired, he provided the following statement: “From the moment I watched Jason Voorhees squeeze a guy’s eyeball out of its socket (in glorious 3D!) at the tender age of 8 years old, I knew my creative path was someday destined to converge with The Man Behind The Mask. Nothing defined my childhood more than growing up in the golden age of the slasher flick, and nothing’s defined the genre more than Friday The 13th. I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to contribute a chapter to this iconic franchise, particularly with such fearless partners as Peacock and A24.“ Beyond It: Welcome to Derry, Kane’s TV credits include Fringe, Black Sails, Lodge 49, Moonhaven, Warrior, and Tokyo Vice.
According to Deadline, Crystal Lake‘s version of Pamela is believed to be a mother who had given up a singing career to raise a special needs child and takes a dark turn when she loses her son. The series is being executive produced by A24, Kane, Marc Toberoff, Victor Miller, Robert M. Barsamian, Robert P. Barsamian, Tyson Bidner, and Stuart Manashil. As Deadline notes, “The project will mark one of A24’s first major IP-driven efforts amid a recent move expand in a more commercial direction.”
Directors on the series include Michael Lennox (Derry Girls), who helms episodes 1 through 3; Celine Held and Logan George (Caddo Lake), directing episodes 4 through 6, and Quyen Tran (Sirens), directing episodes 7 and 8.
Fridaythe13thFranchise.com previously reported that filming was scheduled to begin on June 18th in West Milford, New Jersey, which is about an hour drive away from where the original movie was filmed, and will last through November 21st. “The show is set in the 1970s, but multiple organizations reference the year 1971 specifically.” Recent casting calls have been searching for teens, summer camp kids, swimming campers, experienced lifeguards, and canoeing and archery camp counselors.
Here are some images from the set:
Are you glad to see that Blairstown is being transformed into Crystal Lake again? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
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