It would seem that Jason Voorhees really does go on forever. After the original movie was released in 1980, it was not just the career of the young Kevin Bacon that was spawned, but an entire mythology that would run endlessly into the most fantastical of directions. Now, apparently, Jason will rise again in a new Friday The 13th TV series.
For the writer/director of the original, Sean S. Cunningham, his attempt to cash in on the success of Halloween two years previously was seemingly a simple story of a vengeful mother, who – lost in grief for her drowned child – goes on a killing spree at an idyllic camp on the shores of Crystal Lake. By the time it reached theatres, however, it had captured the imaginations of an entire generation, and entered into the annals of pop culture.
Apart from the countless novels, comic books and other tie-ins it produced, Friday The 13th generated no less than 12 movies. Over the course of the franchise, Jason – thought to have drowned – is actually found to be alive, and becomes a serial killer who is repeatedly killed himself, but then resurrected to commit more carnage. Beyond Crystal Lake, he variously winds up in the sewers of New York, is possessed and dragged to Hell, and is even placed in cryonic suspension in the future and taken into space, where he is resurrected as a cyborg using nanotechnology and is sent to ‘Earth 2.’ He even fights with Freddy Krueger. Then, in 2009, the whole thing was re-booted with another movie.
This new TV show, however, is not to be confused with Friday The 13th: The Series, which ran for 72 episodes from 1987. That show was created by Frank Mancuso Jr. and Larry B. Williams and was not linked to the movie storyline. Instead, it followed 2 cousins attempting to recover cursed antiques that were sold from a shop owned by their uncle – following the idea of curses and superstitions. This new show is not that. This new show will be all Jason, all the time.
With Sean S. Cunningham on board as Executive Producer, chances are this new series will have at least some of the essence of the storyline that kicked this whole thing off 34 years ago. He began talking about the possibility of creating a new show back in 2003, but now it seems that it may finally be coming together – since Bill Basso and Jordu Schell have been attached to write it. Friday The 13th will, apparently, re-imagine Jason in “multiple time periods” – which almost makes him sound like a serial killing Doctor Who.
As always, we’ll keep you posted when we hear more details on this intriguing project. For now though, tell us, are you interested in seeing Jason make an appearance on television?