The Pet Sematary prequel has cast Jack Mulhern, Forrest Goodluck, Natalie Alyn Lind, and Isabelle Star LaBlanc to star in the Paramount+ film. Based on Stephen King's 1983 horror novel of the same name, Pet Sematary was initially adapted in 1989 for the silver screen. Directed by Mary Lambert (The in Crowd), it follows a grieving family that was struck by tragedy. When the father (Dale Midkiff) finds out about an ancient burial ground behind his home that can bring the dead back to life, he decides to take advantage of it. However, he soon discovers that there are consequences to his actions.
Another adaptation of Pet Sematary directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer was released in 2019. The new film for Paramount+, however, is a prequel directed by newcomer Lindsey Beer from a screenplay she's reworked from a draft by Jeff Buhler, who also wrote the 2019 adaptation. Jackson White has already been cast as a young version of Jud Crandall, and now the film has added more actors.
THR announced big casting news for the Pet Sematary prequel this week ahead of its expected August filming start. The cast now includes Jack Mulhern (Mare of Easttown), Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant), Natalie Alyn Lind (Big Sky), and Isabella Star LaBlanc. The plot details are being kept tightly under wraps, but the story is supposedly still set in the same Pet Sematary universe as the 2019 version.
Given that this Pet Sematary film is a prequel, the story is able to explore this universe a bit more freely. Many audiences are already familiar with the original story between the novel and the two film adaptations. Since the plot details haven't been announced, viewers will have to wait for information regarding how it will approach telling an origin story. There's a lot of potential mythology that the prequel can dig into regarding the ancient burial ground, the town, the Wendigo, and more.
The 2019 version brought in an impressive worldwide box office total of $113 million against a reported budget of $21 million. However, it received mixed reviews from critics and audiences upon its release. Given the financial success, it's not surprising that Paramount wanted to see how else this universe can be explored. Even though it could have received better reviews, it's frequently referred to as being an improvement upon the 1989 Pet Sematary. With the cast list growing, it's likely that there will be plot details for the Pet Sematary prequel announced within the near future.
Source: THR