Friday the 13th fans worried that Jason Voorhees may not show up in Peacock's prequel series Crystal Lake will be happy to know that a new actor has been cast in the role, well, as young Jason, at least. It was just announced that Callum Vinson will be the next Jason.
Vinson's previous roles include the TV series Chucky and Long Bright River. Peacock's prequel series is being created in partnership with A24. It will primarily follow the story of Jason's mom, Pamela Voorhees, who avenged her special needs son after he drowned. Linda Cardellini has been cast as Pamela. The prequel series is named after the town and summer camp where most of the movies occur and where Jason drowned. Because Vinson is billed as a reoccurring guest star, it's unclear how many episodes he'll appear in, especially since the series focuses on Pamela. Most likely, we'll see scenes where Jason is alive and well, with his mom taking care of him, after she forgoes her singing career.
After years of copyright lawsuits that held up the Friday the 13th franchise, this is welcome news. It wasn't even clear if the series would be able to use Jason, due to the lawsuit, but the lawsuit concluded last year, allowing the franchise to move forward with new merchandise, a Jason universe, and now the forthcoming prequel series.
Other announced Crystal Lake cast members include William Catlett, Devin Kessler, Cameron Scoggins and Gwendolyn Sundstrom. They will play characters named Levon Brooks, Briana Brooks, Dorf and Grace. Details about the show's plot have been kept under wraps. That said, none of those characters appear in the first film, which, spoiler alert, features Pamela as the killer.
Nick Cordileone has also been cast as a character named Ralph, leading to speculation that he may be "Crazy Ralph" from the first two films. Ralph warns the Camp Crystal counselors/teens that they're all "doomed" if they don't turn around and go home. Of course, Ralph was right.
Brad Caleb Kane (It: Welcome to Derry) will serve as the showrunner for Crystal Lake. He joined the project last year, after the exit of Bryan Fuller. Fuller left because he said "A24 elected to go a different way with the material." His exit led to speculation that the show might fully collapse. Now, at least, it's ramping up and moving forward.
Vinson joins a long line of Jasons, across 12 films in total. Young Jason was initially played by Ari Lehman. Some other notable performances include Ted White (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter), C.J. Graham (Friday the 13th: Jason Lives), and of course, Kane Hodder, who reprised the role several times for the later installments. There's no word yet if the hockey-masked adult Jason will make an appearance in an episode or two of Crystal Lake. Let's hope.
Though no official date is set yet for Crystal Lake, it is slated to come out in 2026. Stay tuned.