Another Stephen King adaptation is heating up asFirestarterhas locked in a director. Keith Thomas has been tapped by Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures to helm a new adaptation of King’s 1980 novel of the same name. The project has been in the works for a couple of years now, but it seems things are finally getting serious.
According to a new report, Keith Thomas will directFirestarter, working from a script by Scott Teems. Thomas' directorial debutThe Vigilwas released earlier this year and received strong reviews from critics. That was enough to get him on Blumhouse’s radar for what promises to be a much more high-profile gig. As for Teems, he wrote episodes ofRectifyandNarcos: Mexicobefore being tapped by Blumhouse for theFirestarterremake. They apparently liked what he brought to the table, as he was brought on board to co-write next year’sHalloween Kills, which recently wrapped filming.
Firestarterwas previously adapted in 1984 by director Mark L. Lester, with Drew Barrymore in the lead role. There is no word yet on who could be tapped to take on the part this time around, but it’s said that the studio wants to cast a “name” to fill those shoes. The previous adaptation wasn’t particularly well-liked by critics at the time and only grossed $17 million at the box office.
So one would be hard-pressed to call it a hit. A sequel was produced as a TV miniseries titled Firestarter: Rekindled and was released in 2002. In recent years, thanks largely toIT, which went on to become the highest-grossing horror movie ever, and this year’sIT Chapter Two, we’re in something of Stephen King Renaissance. So the time could be right to give this one another shot.
TheStephen King bookcenters on The Department of Scientific Intelligence, otherwise known as “The Shop.” They never expected that two participants in their research program would marry and have a kid together. Charlie McGee inherited pyrokinetic powers from her parents, who were given a low-grade hallucinogen called “Lot Six” during their college years . Now the government is trying to capture Charlie and harness her powerful firestarting skills as a weapon.
Blumhouse head Jason Blum is set toproduce the new Firestarter adaptation alongside Akiva Goldsman. Martha De Laurentiis, who produced the original movie, is on board as an executive producer.
This is just one ofseveral Stephen King movies in developmentat various studios at the moment.The Talisman,The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon,Mile 81,Rest Stop,Roadwork,Salem’s LotandThe Dark Halfare all in the works as well.The OutsiderandThe Stand, amongst others, are being developed for TV currently. There is no word yet on how quickly production could begin onFirestarter, but with a director now in place things could progress quickly. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. This news comes to us viaCollider.
