Friday the 13th Original Writer Will Spearhead the "Jason Universe"

The Big Picture

• Exciting news for Friday the 13th fans as the Jason Universe is teased, promising new projects and fan experiences beyond just films.
• With the rights still uncertain, the future of the franchise remains foggy, but collaborations hint at revitalizing the iconic horror brand.
• The Camp Crystal Lake series suffered a setback when the showrunner stepped away.

The emotional roller coaster of the Friday the 13th franchise continues. After last week's news of the upcoming prequel series Crystal Lake losing its showrunner Bryan Fuller, things look bleak again for the iconic slasher brand. However, you can’t keep Jason Voorhees dead for long, as he lives on with a planned Friday the 13th universe from Victor Miller and Horror Inc.

Reported exclusively by IGN, the dubbed “Jason Universe" was unveiled by Horror Inc. as a “new era” for the more than a decade-long dormant franchise. “New Friday the 13th activations will span a wide range of platforms from entertainment, games, immersive experiences, merchandise and more to be announced throughout 2024.” When talking about his excitement for the upcoming collaboration, President of Horror Inc., Robert Barsamian, said, “For decades, Jason shocked and thrilled audiences who kept coming back for more. We’re excited to work with Victor Miller and Marc Toberoff on new projects we’ll announce in the coming months.” He would go on to say, “We’re focused on honoring the legacy while elevating the fan experience and appealing to today’s horror audiences as we develop new ways to watch, interact and engage with the Jason Universe.”

Global GM of Horror Inc., Sheri Conn added:

“With the unique ability to remain at the forefront of pop culture for 44 years, Jason continues to top charts as one of the scariest villains of all time with strong global awareness across multiple generations thanks to billions of TikTok views plus millions and millions of gamers and movie fans.” She would finish saying, “We can’t wait to introduce new Jason Universe activations to these amazing fans.”

What This Means For ‘Friday the 13th’

This is some much-needed good news for Friday the 13th. There has been barely any Jason in the last decade. After the 2009 remake, the only thing keeping the franchise alive has been the toys, Blu-ray re-releases, and the hit 2017 video game. Because of a nasty legal dispute between Miller (Friday the 13th’s original writer) and the series’ producer Sean S. Cunningham, Jason has been kept submerged under Camp Crystal Lake for 15 long years. A settlement was recently reached between the two, paving the way for the Crystal Lake series, but there are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to what the parties can and can't do with Friday the 13th.

The rights remain in a very foggy place. Henish why the word film is never used once in this “Jason Universe” announcement, leading us to believe Miller can’t make a film in the franchise. However, this is just speculation at this time. Cunningham teased early last year that he had been in early development of a new film in the series. Yet there haven’t been any updates on that potential project in quite some time. Miller, on the other hand, remains a producer on the Crystal Lake series despite the recent shake-ups. The prequel seems to be in limbo while Peacock and A24 look for a new showrunner. Previously, the series was set to debut in 2024 (very unlikely now) while the story focused on both Jason and his mother Pamela. The franchise composer Harry Manferdini teased that there was a new video game in development as well last year. This is most likely a part of this new established collaboration.

The first eight Friday the 13th films are currently streaming on Max. While horror fans wait for Crystal Lake and more Jason-centric news, you can sign up for update alerts on Jason Universe’s official website.

Friday the 13th

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