Bryan Fuller has dramatically quit as showrunner on A24’s Friday The 13th prequel series Crystal Lake, citing creative differences.
Bryan Fuller, previously known for hit TV series Hannibal, has quit his role as showrunner on A24’s upcoming Friday The 13th prequel show, Crystal Lake.
Fuller made the announcement in an Instagram post, in which he stated that “A24 has elected to go a different direction with the material.”
“Adapting classic horror is something I have some experience with,” Fuller wrote, as shared by TheWrap. “These shows require a vision that elevates and transforms, as well as delivers what audiences have come to expect, which is an ambitious and risky endeavour. It requires people to take the leap with me.”
Fuller then sought to remind his followers of his previous success with Hannibal, which served as a prequel to the likes of Michael Mann’s Manhunter (or the later Red Dragon, made by Brett Ratner) and Jonathan Demme’s Silence Of The Lambs. All, of course, were adapted from novels by Thomas Harris.
“When it works, as with Hannibal, the results can be powerful for the storytellers and the audience,” Fuller wrote. “I couldn’t be more proud of the work my co-showrunner Jim Danger Gray and I were able to accomplish with our brilliant writing staff despite the challenges we faced.”
Presumably, Fuller intended to pull of a similar feat with Crystal Lake, a prequel to the long-running Friday The 13th film series which first began in 1980. There had been rumours in recent days, however, that the entire project might be in trouble – reporter Jeff Sneider said that sources had told him on the 7th May that development had ceased. It’s something Fuller appears to confirm in his post.
“For reasons beyond our control, A24 has elected to go a different way with the material,” Fuller wrote. “We hope the final product will be something Friday The 13th fans all over the world will enjoy.”
Fuller may be off the project, but Crystal Lake isn’t dead yet; TheWrap has a source who claims that A24 will press ahead with the series’ development without the Hannibal showrunner.
More on this as we get it.
