A movie remake of Stephen King's Firestarter is on the way from Blumhouse and Universal, and here's what we know about the project so far. As part of the non-stop onslaught of Stephen King movies and TV shows currently being developed and released by Hollywood, lots of the author's stories are in line to receive their second, or in some cases third screen adaptation. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as often movies based on King's work come up short in quality, or stray very far from the source material, making a do-over warranted.
One title that doesn't seem like it would have that much obvious room for improvement is King's 1980 novel Firestarter, centering on a young girl with sometimes literally explosive pyrokinetic powers. Firestarter first became a movie in 1984, starring Drew Barrymore as Charlie McGee. While King himself didn't write the script, the film still stuck quite close to his prose, and is one of the more faithful movie adaptations of King's work.
That said, faithful or not, Firestarter was not a critical or commercial hit at the time of its release, and today sports only a middling reputation. In that sense, a remake might be welcome, and it's indeed on the way, having been in development since 2017. Here's what we know so far.
Firestarter Remake Release Date
It's unclear when Blumhouse and Universal's Firestarter remake will enter production, much less when it will release in theaters. The project was first announced as in the works in April 2017, with Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman set to direct, and Rectify writer Scott Teems penning the script. By June 2018, Goldsman had fallen back to producer on the remake, with German filmmaker Faith Akin taking over as director. Then, in December 2019, Akin left and another new director was hired in Keith Thomas, who reportedly wowed Blumhouse with his upcoming indie horror film The Vigil. At this point though, no further production updates have been forthcoming.
Firestarter Remake Story & Cast
Up to this point, no details have been revealed about the actual script for Firestarter's remake, or if it will depart further from Stephen King's original novel than the 1984 film did. Likewise, no casting has been announced, although casting the right young actress as Charlie McGee will be vital. After all, Drew Barrymore's performance is the most widely praised aspect of the first Firestarter movie adaptation. Casting Charlie's father Andy is also very important, as he serves as the adult lens through which older viewers can relate to Charlie's fantastical story. Plus, Andy also has some pretty cool mind powers himself, as he can "push" others into doing his bidding.