Firestarter is an American science fiction supernatural horror film directed by Keith Thomas, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. It is a reboot of the 1984 film adaptation of the same name and stars Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Sydney Lemmon, Michael Greyeyes, and Kurtwood Smith.
Firestarter was released in the United States by Universal Pictures simultaneously in theaters and on Peacock on May 13, 2022.
Premise[]
A young man must protect his daughter after she develops pyrokinesis and is hunted by a secret government agency that intends to capture and control her.
Cast[]
- Zac Efron as Andrew "Andy" McGee
- Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Charlene "Charlie" McGee
- Sydney Lemmon as Victoria "Vicky" McGee (née Tomlinson)
- Michael Greyeyes as John Rainbird
- Kurtwood Smith
- John Beasley
- Gloria Reuben
Production[]
On April 27, 2017, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions announced a reboot of Firestarter, with Akiva Goldsman set to direct and produce alongside Jason Blum. On June 28, 2018, Fatih Akin replaced Goldsman as director, with Scott Teems set to write the script. On December 16, 2019, Keith Thomas replaced Akin as director.
In September 2020, Zac Efron was cast in the lead role of the film. In February 2021, Michael Greyeyes joined the cast. In June 2021, Ryan Kiera Armstrong was cast in the lead role of Charlie McGee, with Gloria Reuben joining in an undisclosed role, though possibly a character that replaces Captain James Hollister, the head of the Shop and Rainbird (played by Greyeyes)’s right hand man, and Sydney Lemmon joining as Charlie's mother.
Principal photography began on May 25, 2021, in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, and wrapped on July 16.
Music[]
On February 9, 2022, it was revealed that John Carpenter, his son Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies were set to compose the score.
Release[]
On February 9, 2022, upon the release of official trailer, it was announced that Firestarter will be theatrically released in the United States on May 13, 2022 by Universal Pictures, simultaneously streaming on Peacock the same day as well.