Filmmakers react to Bryan Fuller exiting Crystal Lake

Camp Crystal Lake hasn’t been this busy in decades, yet, ironically, the waters are calm and there’s no killer stalking the grounds. When news came that Crystal Lake – an “expanded prequel” set to air on Peacock – was looking to be on the chopping block, fans of the Friday the 13th series saw a missed opportunity from A24 and Peacock to revive the long-dormant franchise. And while Crystal Lake may still be moving forward in some capacity, it has lost a key member of the team: producer Bryan Fuller. That’s a major blow for sure, and one that some prominent names in horror aren’t happy about.

Responding to Bryan Fuller’s announcement over just where he stood with Crystal Lake, Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer screenwriter wrote, “Bummin’ hard, so sorry I won’t be a part of what would  have been an epic Bryan Fuller show. Your pilot was so beautifully realized. A gorgeous portait of a mother unraveling in her grief. Not to mention bloody horrific! I was so looking forward to our hour long chase episode!”

Williamson isn’t the only one who read Fuller’s Crystal Lake. Another who had access is Cube and Haunter director Vincenzo Natali, who wrote, “I have read the first two episodes. @BryanFuller ’s Crystal Lake was well on its way to becoming another Hannibal-level reinvention that was simultaneously beautiful, sad, poetic, funny and horrifying. I mourn its passing.”

Most of us figured that Crystal Lake had such hope under Bryan Fuller, but now that we’ve seen reactions from his pilot’s scro[t, it’s even more disappointing that he won’t be involved with the project, especially if the series would have incorporated a psychological approach, as indicated in the reactions. At the same time, if we were to take an optimistic view, we don’t really know what we’d be missing since episodes weren’t even supposed to begin filming until the summer. As of now, it looks like A24 and Peacock will be stepping back to readjust their approach, which could lead to some interesting opportunities to explore the world of Friday the 13th.

What are your hopes for Crystal Lake now that Bryan Fuller is out? Does it still have potential? What do you want to see in the series?