#Blumhouse’s Firestarter Remake Gets Michael Greyeyes as Rainbird

Michael Greyeyes (True Detective) has joined the cast of the Firestarter reboot, a new movie in the works based on the Stephen King horror story. In the new Firestarter movie – which comes from Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, and Weed Road Pictures – Greyeyes will play Rainbird, a “relentless powerful fan who has been pushed into a violent life.” The role was previously portrayed by George C. Scott in the original 1984 movie adaptation.

The story is directly based on the original novel of the same name by Stephen King, which was first published in 1980. In Firestarter, a “young girl develops pyrokinetic abilities and is abducted by a secret government agency that wants to harness her powerful gift as a weapon.” There’s no word yet on who will be playing Charlie McGee, the titular fire-starting child, but it’s been reported that Zac Efron will play her father Andy.
RELATED: Zac Efron Takes the Lead in Stephen King’s Firestarter Remake for Blumhouse
Keith Thomas (The Vigil) will direct using a screenplay by Scott Teems (Halloween Kills). Jason Blum and Academy Award winner Akiva Goldsman will produce. Marthe De Laurentiis, who served as an associate producer on the original movie, will executive produce the remake alongside Teems.

Known for True Detective, Michael Greyeyes has recently impressed critics with his acclaimed portrayal of Makwa/Michael in Wild Indian. The feature debut of writer/director Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr., the movie premiered in competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. He is also set to star opposite Ed Helms (The Office) in the upcoming Peacock comedy series Rutherford Falls, set on the border of a New York town and a Native American reservation. Greyeyes will also return for the second season of the Apple+ Original mystery drama series Home Before Dark.

Directed by Mark L. Lester and written by Stanley Mann, the original Firestarter movie starred a young Drew Barrymore as Charlie McGee. The cast also included David Keith as Andy McGee, Heather Locklear as Vicky McGee, Freddie Jones as Dr. Wanless, Martin Sheen as Captain James Hollister, and George C. Scott as John Rainbird. Reviews were mixed and even Stephen King was critical of the adaptation. It’s not clear if how involved King will be with the new movie in the works.

It’s not exactly a surprise to see another classic King story get a new adaptation, as movies based on his books are still proving to be highly successful after all these years. His original novels, including titles like Carrie, The Shining, and IT, have sold more than 350 million copies worldwide. In recent years, the movies IT and IT: Chapter Two brought in tremendously high numbers at the box office, putting them among the highest-grossing horror movies of all time. New adaptations of other books like Salem’s Lot, Revival, and The Tommyknockers are also in development.

So far, the cast of the new Firestarter movie is looking pretty solid with names like Greyeyes and Efron attached. Let’s hope the new movie is a bit more well-received than how the original version was when it was released in 1984. This news comes to us from Blumhouse.

Topics: Firestarter