Paramount Pictures’ Pet Sematary remake has found its female lead in Amy Seimetz, who recently had a small role in last year's Alien: Covenant film. Based on Stephen King’s 1983 novel, Pet Sematary chronicles the bizarre and morbid experiences of the Creed family. After moving next to a burial ground, they soon uncover a deeper narrative as their domestic bliss transforms into a real life nightmare.
In 1989, Mary Lambert directed the first adaptation of the novel, which polarized viewers and critics by drifting from the source material, and for its over-the-top visual aesthetic. With film directors now taking a more psychological approach with King adaptations - evidenced by the 2017 films It, Gerald’s Game and 1922 - moviegoers often expect more of a cerebral viewing experience rather than traditional jump scares that carried so many horror productions of the past, and that's what directors Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer are trying to accomplish with their Pet Sematary reboot.
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Deadline reports that Paramount Pictures has hired Amy Seimetz to co-star in Pet Sematary opposite Jason Clarke and veteran actor John Lithgow. Before landing a role in Alien: Covenant, Seimetz appeared in acclaimed indie thrillers like Adam Wingard’s You’re Next (2011), Shane Carruth’s Upstream Color (2013), and Ti West’s The Sacrament (2013). She also wrote, directed, edited, and produced the critically acclaimed 2012 film Sun Don’t Shine. In recent years, Seimetz has directed episodes of Atlanta, The Girlfriend Experience, Halt and Catch Fire, and Stranger Things.
Last month, Pet Sematary screenwriter Jeff Buhler said the remake will stay close to the original story, with the directors seeking to make the “scariest” King adaptation yet. With that said, it’s worth noting that Seimetz and company will be working off a script that’s co-written by David Kajganich, the screenwriter for Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Dario Argento’s Suspiria. Given the response to that film's first images, it seems that Pet Sematary will likely have a substantial amount of visceral horror to it, as opposed to fluffy dialogue and cheap scare tactics.
Pet Sematary's release date was recently moved up by two weeks and it will now open opposite David F. Sandberg's Shazam! on April 5, 2019. With the Seimetz casting, Pet Sematary now has a solid foundation. Lithgow represents a familiar face, Clarke is arguably on the verge of becoming an A-list star (if he's not already), and Seimetz will likely function as the grounding force that brings everything together. Considering all the different pieces - the cast, crew, and subject matter - it seems the studio may have their own hit Stephen King movie on their hands.
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Source: Deadline
