Firestarter was originally adapted on screen in 1984 from the Stephen King novel of the same name. It’s about a young girl who develops the ability to set fires with her mind. This strange power makes her a dangerous loose cannon and the primary target of a secret governmental organization looking to capture, control and study her.

The original movie starred a young Drew Barrymore in the lead role, which helped catapult her career as an actress. She also starred alongside other famous actors like George C. Scott (Dr. Strangelove, A Christmas Carol), Heather Locklear (Melrose Place) and Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now, Grace & Frankie).

Blumhouse Productions (Insidious, Split, The Purge) has been working on a Firestarter reboot, which is set to premiere in theaters and on Peacock on May 13, 2022. It will have a new cast, a similar plot, and likely much better visual effects than the early ‘80s original.

With the release date rapidly approaching, here’s everything we know about the Firestarter remake.

The Plot

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Blumhouse Productions

The Firestarter remake will maintain a similar plot to the original movie from 1984, as well as Stephen King's 1980 novel. The movie follows Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), a young girl who starts to develop pyrokinesis; essentially the ability to set fires with her mind. Her dad, Andy (Zac Efron), is obviously concerned, especially when a governmental agency called "The Shop" who wants to capture Charlie, steps onto the scene.

The Shop is interested in her because she was born with her abilities. Her parents have some pyrokinesis skills, too, but only as the result of some experimental drug tests. Charlie's parents also suffer side effects whenever they use their powers, whereas Charlie is completely unbothered. This makes her a hot commodity for The Shop, since they're the organization that created the experimental drugs in the first place.

Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions said that Stephen King read the script and gave it his seal of approval. This makes it feel like the remake will pay good tribute to the original movie and the novel it's based on. The screenplay was written by Scott Teems, who also wrote Halloween Kills in 2021, and is directed by Keith Thomas (The Vigil). Being a Blumhouse Productions project, it's likely there could be a few twists and turns within the plot that audience members who saw the original may not expect.

Also, similar to the original, the Firestarter remake was given an R rating, which can be considered good news for some horror movie fans. It's rated R due to "violent content" which means there will be plenty of fiery chaos and destruction on-screen. Considering technological advancements since the early '80s, audience members could be in for a visual effects treat.

The remake's score is also being composed by none other than horror legend John Carpenter (Halloween) and his son Cody. This could potentially bring a more eerie, chilling vibe to the movie as it's generally more sci-fi than horror.

Related: How the New Firestarter Does John Carpenter Justice

The Cast

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Blumhouse Productions

The Firestarter trailer debuted back in February and teased some interesting performances set against a rather menacing backdrop. While the cast of the movie is small, it has no shortage of well-known talent.

Zac Efron (High School Musical, Neighbors) will play Andy McGee, Charlie's dad. This is a unique role for Efron. He played Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, which was a more chilling, suspenseful role for him, but otherwise he hasn't had a role like Firestarter. He'll also be playing a father, which is a more mature character that we haven't seen from him yet.

At just 12-years-old, Ryan Kiera Armstrong will be playing the lead of Charlie McGee. Armstrong had a part in the last season of American Horror Story, but Firestarter will be one of her biggest roles yet. She also had small parts in It: Chapter Two and Black Widow.

Kurtwood Smith (That '70's Show, Dead Poets Society) is also joining the cast as Dr. Joseph Wanless. Also on board is Sydney Lemmon (Velvet Buzzsaw) as Charlie's mother Vicky, John Beasley (The Mighty Ducks) as Irv Manders, Michael Greyeyes (Fear The Walking Dead) as John Rainbird and Gloria Reuben (ER, Lincoln) as Captain Hollister.

Cast members from the original Firestarter movie, like Drew Barrymore, are not set to make a return to the remake.

How Will It Compare to the Original?

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Universal Pictures

The cast is new, the technology is better, the plot is basically the same and Stephen King gave the remake the green light. All of these facts combined make it seem like the Firestarter reboot may actually be pretty good.

The original Firestarter underperformed at the box office, grossing just over $17 million domestically, and critics didn't seem to love it either. Even still, it's a very recognizable King creation, and it was certainly a standout role for the young Drew Barrymore. In recent years, King remakes have been pretty successful at the box office, like It: Chapter One and Two, which grossed $327.5 million and $211.6 million respectively. It's possible that reviving Firestarter, one of King's classics, could certainly pay off. The horror master is still churning out books consistently and has more adaptations and remakes of his works lined up, like the reboot of 'Salem's Lot set to premiere this fall and the limited series based on King's novel Later, produced by Blumhouse Television.

However, we'll have to wait for the Firestarter remake to debut to really be able to compare it to the original.

Related: Firestarter Clips Tease Family Drama & Fiery Destruction in Imminent Remake

The Release Date

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Blumhouse Productions

Firestarter will premiere in theaters on May 13, 2022. It will also be available to stream same-day on Peacock.