Firestarter remake lights up with Universal & Blumhouse, gets director

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

It's good to be the King!

Akiva Goldsman, the Oscar winning scribe of A BEAUTIFUL MIND, is set to direct a remake of Stephen King's FIRESTARTER for Blumhouse and Universal.

Deadline dropped the news, relaying word from Jason Blum himself at the Overlook Film Festival in Mt. Hood, Oregon…of course the Timberline Lodge being the infamous location of Stephen King's film version of THE SHINING. Talk about poetry! Blum was there introducing Goldsman's new film STEPHANIE, which he directed. 

As for FIRESTARTER, the update will be penned by Scott Teems (RECTIFY):

Andrew and Vicky McGee met while earning money as guinea pigs for an experiment at college. The experiment was shrouded in suspicion and mystery, and seemed to be related to psychic abilities. The two were married and had a daughter Charile, who has the ability to start fires by merely thinking about it. Naturally, the government takes a great interest in Charlie, and operatives from the secret department known as "The Shop" want to quarrantine and study her.

Drew Barrymore played the pyrokinetic young girl in the 1984 original, directed by Mark L. Lester (COMMANDO). The remake will mark the fifth collaboration between Blumhouse and Goldman. The latter also penned the adaptation of King's THE DARK TOWER, which drops this August.