Over 15 seasons, the CW program Supernatural did everything you could imagine. This show’s enduring run ensured that the writers could keep conjuring up the most fantastical plots for the Winchester Twins to encounter and explore. This included everything from a Scooby-Doo crossover to a Season 3 installment where the lead character, Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), was killed, just so they could do a time loop episode. Both the fantasy backdrop and the lengthy run of Supernatural guaranteed that any and all ideas could become a reality.
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Well… nearly all ideas. Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester’s adventures were still bound by some laws of reality, including the issues that plagued one abandoned crossover with a famous horror movie franchise. There was a point where a Supernatural episode would’ve intersected with the Friday the 13th mythos, but it never came to be… for the dumbest of reasons.
The Abandoned Supernatural &Friday the 13th Crossover, Explained
Per a behind-the-scenes featurette entitled “Scene Specifics: Dream a Little Dream” from Supernatural’s third season DVD release, the episode “Dream a Little Dream of Me” initially had grand ambitions for what kind of ominous dreams Sam and Dean would encounter as they tried rescuing Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver). One planned dream sequence would’ve involved Dean running into Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise. Initially, this crossover looked good to go since the Supernatural producers had no trouble obtaining the rights to utilize Voorhees.
However, trouble emerged soon after when the folks behind “Dream a Little Dream of Me” were informed that the studio they’d been in contact with had no ownership of Voorhees. Plans for a Jason cameo inspired by Supernatural creator Eric Kripke’s beloved Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter had to be trashed. As a substitute, Supernatural didn’t turn to another ’80s horror baddie or slasher film villain; instead, Dean had a fateful encounter with a Supernatural character, Lisa Braeden (Cindy Sampson). This created more development with the show’s universe and for Dean Winchester’s character.
Depriving audiences of the chance to see Friday the 13th and Supernatural lore intersect didn’t capsize “Dream a Little Dream of Me’s” standing with viewers. As of this writing, this Season 3 installment has a terrific 8.4 score on IMDB, while general reviews of the episode have been tremendously positive. Everything worked out quite nicely for Supernatural despite those production snafus. Unfortunately, these ludicrous right issues woes are not the only time such problems have plagued the Friday the 13th franchise. Forget machete-wilding maniacs, licensing rights have been this horror saga’s greatest enemy.
Rights Issues Have Plagued Friday the 13th
Like so many vintage horror franchises, the Friday the 13th saga has been tormented by many legal and ownership issues. Paramount Pictures owned and released the original Friday the 13th movies domestically (Warner Bros. handled them internationally). New Line Cinema eventually purchased the franchise, which made releasing new movies in the 21st century incredibly difficult. Being straddled between two movie studios made the very existence of the 2009 Friday the 13th remake (produced as a New Line Cinema/Paramount collaboration) a miracle.
Speaking of that remake, producer Brad Fuller later confirmed that disputes over Friday the 13th rights issues ensured that a sequel to that 2009 horror hit never materialized. If a major Friday the 13th movie couldn’t overcome the legal issues plaguing Jason Voorhees, it’s no surprise a Supernatural crossover got caught in the crossfire. With such instability over who owns what in this saga, it’s impossible for even cutesy TV crossovers to happen.
Years after Supernatural ended its run, a light at the end of the tunnel has appeared for the Friday the 13th saga, as legal issues surrounding this franchise have been resolved. While New Line Cinema technically still owns the Friday the 13th brand name, Horror Inc. now possesses the Jason Voorhees character and is launching the Jason Universe to house new movies and TV shows in this franchise. This includes the new Peacock/A24 prequel series Crystal Lake, which will finally bring the world of Jason (and his mom Pamela) to TV. That’s good news for Jason fans, who have long had to settle for enticing new projects surrounding this character, like that unrealized Supernatural crossover, going belly-up for the silliest reasons.
