The Firestarter reboot has found its lead star in Zac Efron. In the works at Blumhouse for years, the upcoming remake is written by Scott Teems. Following initial reports that Fatih Akin would be directing the new take on the classic Stephen King horror story, it has since been confirmed that Keith Thomas has signed on to helm the movie. Progress must now be moving along swimmingly at this point, as Efron's casting shows that the cast of the remake is now starting to take shape.

Like the original movie, Efron's Firestarter is inspired by the Stephen King novel of the same name. The remake also seems to have a storyline very similar to the book as well as the 1984 movie adaptation, although it's possible the new take may introduce some significant changes. Per the official logline: "A young girl develops pyrokinetic abilities and is abducted by a secret government agency that wants to harness her powerful gift as a weapon." Efron's character wasn't named in the press release, but it seems likely he'll play protagonist Andy McGee, who was played by David Keith in the original movie.

A former teen idol, Zac Efron is very well known for starring as Troy Bolton in the High School Musical movie series. He has since proven himself as a more dramatic actor with an acclaimed role as real-life serial killer Ted Bundy in the Netflix movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. While the movie garnered mixed reviews, most critics were unanimous with their praise for Efron's portrayal in particular. More recently, Efron has begun hosting the Netflix documentary series Down to Earth, giving fans the opportunity to get to know the man behind the camera a bit more.

Mark L. Lester directed the original Firestarter movie, using a screenplay by Stanley Mann. A young Drew Barrymore famously starred as Charlie McGee, a little girl who develops the ability of pyrokinesis. In other words, she can create flames at will, and her parents must keep her protected with the government trying to take control of her. The movie also starred David Keith, Heather Locklear, Martin Sheen, and Freddie Jones. The movie received a sequel in the form of a miniseries in 2002 with Marguerite Moreau playing an adult Charlie McGee, co-starring alongside Danny Nucci, Dennis Hopper, and Malcolm McDowell.

Blumhouse has made a killing with their strategy of going back to the well for new horror movies. Continuing the Halloween franchise in 2018 has made this very evident, as that release broke all kinds of box office records. The studio has also found success by revisiting the classic Universal Monsters with The Invisible Man, and other projects based on Dracula and Wolfman are already in the works. Next month, Blumhouse will also be releasing their new sequel The Craft: Legacy on demand.

The new Firestarter is a joint production between Blumhouse Productions, Universal Pictures, and Weed Road Productions. Jason Blum and Akiva Goldsman will produce; the two previously worked together on the Paranormal Activity series. Martha De Laurentiis, who served as an associate producer for the original Firestarter will be executive producing the remake. No word yet on when filming will begin or when the new horror will see a release.