Linda Cardellini in Talks to Play Pamela Voorhees in Crystal Lake Prequel Series!
It’s been awhile since we received an update on Crystal Lake prequel series, but it appears that casting has finally begun. Per a recent report from Jeff Sneider, Linda Cardellini is expected to play the role of Pamela Voorhees in the upcoming A24 series.
Cardellini recently starred in the Netflix series Dead to Me. She looks somewhat like a younger Betsy Palmer, so appearance-wise, she seems like a great fit. I haven’t watched Dead to Me, but I know that she received substantial acclaim for her performance in that series.
Historically, the Friday the 13th franchise has rarely been able to attract award-winning actors, so she seems like a great catch. Not to mention that this series is being made by A24, a company known mainly for elevated horror films. Friday the 13th is the complete opposite of elevated horror, so why did A24 want to do this? I think it’s an indication of how the series has endured, and the respect that it has gradually earned.
The Friday the 13th franchise, which has been bedeviled by legal issues in recent years, is best known for its hockey-masked villain, Jason Voorhees. Jason’s mother Pamela, originally played by Betsy Palmer, was the main villain in the original Friday the 13th (1980). She also appeared as a vision in Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981).
The long-gestating prequel series is expected to focus heavily on Pamela. It’s unknown what role Jason will have. He could appear as a kid. The series could also include an alternate “present day” timeline with Jason as an adult.
It would be risky for the series to not include the grown up Jason in some capacity. Most people, even non-horror fans, know who Jason is. But they probably don’t know anything about Pamela. Focusing solely on her could endanger the series’ commercial prospects.
The Crystal Lake prequel began development in 2022, but has hit several snags and delays since then. Hopefully there will be more updates soon. For now, the project remains mostly shrouded in mystery.
