Friday the 13th Franchise Reveals Jason Universe
The Friday the 13th franchise has officially becoming a full-fledged franchise universe centered around Jason Voorhees.
Friday the 13th is becoming an entire franchise universe. The "Jason Universe" has been announced by Horror, Inc. There will reportedly be "new activations" for Friday the 13th content, which will span multiple platforms including entertainment (TV/movies), games, "immersive experiences," merchandise offerings, and more. Announcements about these various activations are teased to be happening "throughout 2024."
You can also throw a bookmark up on the official Jason Universe website. Right now, the site is just a landing page requesting sign-up info, with the promise of news updates and more reveals to come.
"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," said Robert Barsamian, President of Horror, Inc., in a statement provided exclusively to IGN.
Robbie Barsamian, VP of Horror, Inc. added that, "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."
"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," Sheri Conn, Global GM of Horror, Inc. said in her own statement, "We can't wait to introduce new Jason Universe activations to these amazing fans."
What New Friday the 13th Movies & TV Shows Are Coming?
A Friday the 13th prequel TV series called Crystal Lake is getting a joint production from Peacock and A24. Hannibal TV series creator Bryan Fuller was attached as showrunner, writer, director, and executive producer at one point – but he's now no longer attached. As of right now, the project is still on the A24 production slate, although it doesn't seem to be making any forward progress.
Scream movies veteran Kevin Williamson was also attached to Crystal Lake, and shared a pretty awesome example of what we could be in for.
"So sorry I won't be a part of what would have been an epic Bryan Fuller show. Your pilot was so beautifully realized," Williamson shared on Twitter. "A gorgeous [portrait] of a mother unraveling in her grief. Not to mention bloody horrific! I was so looking forward to our hour-long chase episode!"
In 2022, Fuller had the following tease for fans about Crystal Lake:
"We're going to have roughly five times the per-episode budget that we had on Hannibal..." Fuller explained. "It will absolutely be recognizable for the hardcore Friday the 13th fans, but will also have an appeal to people who are simply interested in top-shelf TV storytelling."
Blumhouse studio head Jason Blum has made it clear that he's interested in getting more Jason movies into theaters. However, the rights to the character were tied up in litigation (between original director Sean S. Cunningham and original writer Victor Miller), making the pathway to get there very murky.
"Friday the 13th is what I would do," Blum shared with Collider when asked about the next horror property he wants to revive. "It's not a Blumhouse project, but I'm trying to will it into being one. It's just a piece of IP I've always loved."
Suddenly, all of the murkiness seems to be clearing away. The Jason Universe site touts the tagline being "a new era from the original owners of the Friday the 13th franchise," suggesting the legalities may finally be settled.
We'll keep you updated on official announcements from the Jason Universe.