Summary
The success ofIT: Welcome to Derryis now way more important sinceA24’sFriday the 13threboot,Crystal Lake, will now be impacted by the prequel. Director Andy Muschietti adapted Stephen King’s iconic novelITas a two-part movie series, with 2017’sITbecoming a massive box office success upon release.ITalso impressed critics but, although 2019’s sequelIT: Chapter Twofared well at the box office, the follow-up was unable to reclaim the critical acclaim of its predecessor. Now, theprequel seriesIT: Welcome to Derryhopes to expand the world of Pennywise.
Set before the members of the Loser’s Club were even born,IT: Welcome to Derryis a period piece that looks back on the tortured town’s history. Although the star of the movie initially denied that he would appear in the series, it was revealed in June 2024 thatBill Skarsgard’s Pennywise will returninIT: Welcome to Derry. This comeback is a welcome one since, without the Loser’s Club to anchor its action, the prequel needed a familiar face. However, there is now more pressure than ever onIT: Welcome to Derry’s success thanks to another horror franchise’s future.
Crystal Lake: Confirmation, Cast & Everything We Know About The Friday The 13th Show
The scary world of Friday the 13th is coming to the small screen in Crystal Lake, and there’s already a lot to know about the Jason prequel show.
IT: Welcome To Derry’s Showrunner Is Taking Over Friday The 13th’s Prequel Crystal Lake
IT: Welcome To Derry’s showrunner Brad Caleb Kane is taking over A24’sFriday the 13thprequel seriesCrystal LakeafterHannibalshowrunner Bryan Fuller left the project earlier in 2024. This news should be exciting since Kane brought a big billion-dollar horror franchise to the small screen before withIT: Welcome To Derry. The problem is thatIT: Welcome To Derryhasn’t arrived yet. If theITprequel proves a critical catastrophe,Crystal Lake’s hype will dissipate. This is a much bigger issue for theFriday the 13thprequel show for numerous reasons.
TheFriday the 13thfranchise has been out of the public eye for a decade and a half already.
For one thing, Jason Voorhees hasn’t been seen onscreen since2009’sFriday the 13thremake. While Pennywise enjoyed two massively successful movies in the last seven years, theFriday the 13thfranchise has been out of the public eye for a decade and a half already. Furthermore, theITfranchise isn’t as old as theFriday the 13thseries.IT’s original publication was in 1986 and its first TV adaptation arrived in 1990, whileFriday the 13thwas released in 1980. The slasher series went on to become one of the subgenre’s most famous franchises.
IT: Welcome To Derry’s Reception Will Impact Friday The 13th’s Prequel
It’s Spinoff Success Could Bolster Crystal Lake
There are twelve movies and a TV show in theFriday the 13thfranchise already, not to mention countless comics, novels, fan works, and video games. As such,Crystal Lake’sFriday the 13threvivalhas a lot riding on it, andIT: Welcome To Derry’s reception is now likely to shape the discourse around the series. BothIT: Welcome To DerryandCrystal Lakeare small-screen prequels to iconic ‘80s teen horror franchises. Both center on a group of teens battling an unstoppable evil, and both are set in rural locations tinged with supernatural significance.
IfIT: Welcome To Derryis a dud, the excitement around Crystal Lake is likely to dry up.
There are plenty of similarities betweenIT: Welcome To DerryandCrystal Lake, so the earlier show’s arrival will impact the later show’s hype. IfIT: Welcome To Derryis a dud, the excitement around Crystal Lake is likely to dry up. This could be disastrous since the show’s production has already been troubled. After years of legal battles over the rights to the franchise,Crystal Lakefinally began pre-production in 2022. Two years later, it was announced thatHannibalshowrunner Bryan Fuller was leaving the project, and the visionary director’s ambitious plans for the series were revealed.
Friday The 13th’s Prequel Series Already Lost A Great Showrunner
Bryan Fuller’s Ambitious Plans Were Too Expensive For A24
Behind-the-scenes reports into Fuller’splans forFriday the 13th’s prequelCrystal Lakeprove that the series sounded ambitious, immersive, and surprisingly subversive. Director Vincenzo Natali, who was involved in the project, called it a “Hannibal-level reinvention” of the series. Reports detailed an episode written byScreamscreenwriter Kevin Williamson that would have taken place on a frozen Crystal Lake, while Charlize Theron was being eyed for the role of Jason’s mother, Pamela Voorhees.
This vision for the franchise almost sounded too good to be true, but there is no reason that Brad Caleb Kane’s take on the material necessarily needs to be weaker. TheIT: Welcome To Derryshowrunner may have a similarly impressive plan for the series and theITprequel could prove that he can pull off this sort of horror franchise reinvention with aplomb. However, this will be a hard feat to pull off. The excitement aroundA24’sFriday the 13thprequel series now rides onIT: Welcome to Derryliving up to expectations.
