FIRESTARTER Trailer
They’re taking another stab at adapting Stephen King with Firestarter, the latest from director Keith Thomas.
Previously adapted in 1984 with Drew Barrymore as the titular enemy of Smokey Bear, the story revolves around a father and daughter’s desperate attempt to escape a shady government agency. When the father, Andy, was young he was part of a secret experiment that gave him telepathic abilities, He met and married another subject of the experiment and they had a daughter, who ends up with fiery abilities of her own. When the agency shows up looking for the girl, the father, and daughter go on the run to avoid becoming experimental subjects again.
Part science fiction, horror, thriller, and road trip story, like many Stephen King adaptations the difficulty will be in paring down while keeping the film recognizable. King is known for writing long books, and Firestarter is no exception, which sets up quite the challenge for The Vigil director.
He’s got a solid lead for the dad, at least, in Zac Efron, who continues to grow into new phases of his career. The girl is played by busy child actor Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who actually appeared in the King adaptation It Chapter Two.
Look, we all know King adaptation can go very wrong or very right. Let’s hope this is the latter.
Firestarter is directed by Keith Thomas and stars Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Zac Efron, and Sydney Lemmon. It will be released in the US theatrically and on Peac*ck on May 13th, 2022. For international release dates, click here.
Does this adaptation light a fire under you? Let us know in the comments!
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