Linda Cardellini to play Pamela Voorhees in ‘Crystal Lake’

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Preview:

Linda Cardellini will star in the ‘Friday the 13th’-based series ‘Crystal Lake.’
She’s playing the mother of serial killer Jason Voorhees.
The show has been through a tumultuous development process.

Looks like ‘Crystal Lake’ might finally have found its first camper. Or at least someone to cause real trouble for campers.

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A prequel series set in the Friday the 13th universe. Read the Plot

Yes, after some issues in development (more on that below), Peacock’s series based on the original ‘Friday the 13th’ movie has reached the casting stage, and the first person has locked in their deal.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Linda Cardellini, last seen in Netflix comedy drama ‘No Good Deed’ and in Hulu’s ‘Nutcrackers,’ has landed a key lead role as Pamela Voorhees in the series.

What’s the story of ‘Crystal Lake’?

A scene from 1980’s ‘Friday the 13th’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

The exact plot details for the new show are being kept submerged right now, though with Cardellini’s casting as Pamela, it points to an origin story, setting the clock back to before the first movie.

Because let’s not forget that –– spoiler alert for anyone who hasn’t seen the original ‘Friday the 13th (or indeed the first ‘Scream’ where this is one of Ghostface’s horror trivia questions) –– Pamela is the killer in that film, with Jason not taking up the violent mantle properly until the second.

Yet Deadline has dug up a potential detail or two: 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.

Jason famously is thought to have drowned at Camp Crystal Lake, where Pamela (played in the original by Betsy Palmer) goes on a murderous rampage among the camp counsellors.

The role has subsequently been played by Marilyn Poucher, Paula Shaw and Nana Visitor in various sequels, crossover and reboot movies.

What’s the history of ‘Crystal Lake’?

A scene from 1980’s ‘Friday the 13th’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

‘Friday the 13th’ hasn’t always had the easiest ride behind the scenes, even for the movies.

The franchise became tangled in complex rights deals as it moved from Paramount to New Line and became locked in a years-long copyright dispute between the original movie’s director-producer Sean S. Cunningham and original screenwriter Victor Miller.

And likewise, ‘Crystal Lake’ has encountered its own hurdles.

After Miller emerged victorious in the wrangling over the rights, he was granted control over the script and original characters but not over the ‘Friday the 13th’ title nor the concept of an adult Jason or even his iconic hockey mask, which was only introduced in the third movie.

Undaunted, Miller began developing a series based on the concept with A24 and NBCUniversal, with the latter aiming to have the show on streaming service Peacock.

Bryan Fuller, a veteran of series such as ‘Hannibal’ and ‘American Gods,’ signed on to oversee the show.

Here’s Fuller’s statement from the time:

“I discovered ‘Friday the 13th’ in the pages of Famous Monsters magazine when I was 10 years old and I have been thinking about this story ever since. When it comes to horror, A24 raises the bar and pushes the envelope and I’m thrilled to be exploring the campgrounds of Crystal Lake under their banner. And NBCUniversal’s Susan Rovner is simply the best at what she does. It’s a pleasure and an honor to be working with her again.”

That feeling lasted for roughly a couple of years before Fuller pulled the eject cord and departed the project, taking to social media to explain why:

“Adapting classic horror is something I have some experience with. These shows require a vision that elevates and transforms, as well as delivers what audiences have come to expect, which is an ambitious and risky endeavor. It requires people to take the leap with me. I couldn’t be more proud of the work my co-showrunner Jim Danger Gray and I were able to accomplish with our brilliant writing staff. For reasons beyond our control, A24 has elected to go a different way with the material. We hope the final product will be something ‘Friday the 13th’ fans all over the world will enjoy.

It’s not the first time Fuller has left a show after agreeing to run it, but Peacock and the other companies switched over to Brad Caleb Kane, who worked on the upcoming ‘It’ prequel series ‘Welcome to Derry’ for Max) and will be credited as creator, writer, showrunner and executive producer here.

This was his own statement on landing the gig:

“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.”

Where else have we seen Linda Cardellini?

(L to R) Linda Cardellini, Liz Feldman and James Marsdan in 'Dead To Me.' Photo: Courtesy of Netflix / © 2022 Netflix, Inc.

Cardellini’s career has been eclectic; she’s known on the big screen for the likes of the ‘Scooby Doo’ live-action movies, and has appeared in everything from ‘Legally Blonde’ to ‘Brokeback Mountain.’

She’s also one of the rare actors to have two roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Laura Barton, wife of Jeremy Renner’s Clint “Hawkeye” Barton in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (and the ‘Hawkeye’ Disney+ show) and as the voice of adorable Otter Lylla in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.’

On the small screen, she’s been seen in shows such as ‘Dead to Me,’ ‘Bloodline,’ ‘Freaks and Geeks’ and spent several seasons as nurse Samantha Taggart on ‘ER.’

And Cardellini is currently filming the female lead role in HBO’s upcoming limited series ‘DTF St. Louis’ opposite Jason Bateman and David Harbour.

When will ‘Crystal Lake’ stalk on to our screens?

It’s too early to really guess when the show might arrive, but since casting is underway, there’s a good chance it’ll shoot this year for a potential 2026 launch.