Firestarterwill have its big premiere this Friday, May 13th.Eager fans ofStephen Kingadaptations have been chomping at the bit since the release of the trailer in February. This movie is based on King’s novel of the same name and is a remake of the 1984 film that starred a youngDrew Barrymoreas Charlie McGee.
Charlie (who will be played byRyan Kiera Armstrongin the new movie) is a young girl who has special abilities that put her at risk of harming herself and others. She can create and manipulate fire.
Her mother, Vicky (Sydney Lemmon) believes it would be best to teach Charlie how to control her power, which is fueled by her emotions. However, Charlie’s father, Andy (Zac Efron) thinks it’s best for her to “shove it down and keep it hidden.” It’s almost as if he’s never seen the Disney movieFrozen. Even though Charlie controls fire instead of ice and snow, he’s still setting her up to become a ticking time bomb.
Here are the ways you can watchFirestarterwhen it comes out.
Related:‘Firestarter’ Cast and Character Guide: Who’s Who in the Stephen King Adaptation
Will Firestarter Have a Theatrical Release?
Yes!Firestarterwill have a wide theatrical release in the United States on Friday, May 13th. With a runtime of 94 minutes, this Blumhouse Production is the perfect length to enjoy at your local theater. Check availability for ticket pre-sales to reserve your seats because this fiery blockbuster will be mind-blowing on the big screen.
Will Firestarter Be Available To Stream Anywhere?
Following a deal made between Comcast and Amazon last year, Amazon Prime Video and/or Freevee will streamFirestarterfor 10 months, after it leaves Peacock.
Related:John Carpenter’s ‘Firestarter’ Soundtrack Coming to Digital and Vinyl
Other Stephen King Adaptations on Peacock
Similar to having MCU marathons in anticipation of the newest Marvel release, it makes sense to seek out movies that came from the same horrifyingly creative mind who wroteFirestarter. Peacock is no stranger to Stephen King adaptations and boasts quite the collection. Check out the list below to see if any of these suggestionssparkyour interest.
Firestarter (1984)-Watching the original movie is an absolute must before seeing the remake.Of course, keep in mind that this movie was made in the 80s and reflects that at times, but the special effects and CGI used were considerably impressive and tasteful for that era. Based on the trailer, it looks like theFirestarterremake will closely mirror the original in that both movies stay true to King’s novel of the same name. If you’ve read the book or seen the original movie, it’s not a bad idea to refresh your memory. If you haven’t, you might want to consider waiting until after watching the remake before checking out the original to avoid spoilers.
Creepshow (1982)-Creepshow,directed byGeorge A. Romero, is considered by many to be a cult classic. The horror-comedy anthology features five short stories, two of which were written by Stephen King. The stories are bookended by a prologue and an epilogue that features Stephen King’s son,Joe Hill, as a boy who is reprimanded by his father for reading “horror crap,” a.k.a theCreepshowmagazine. Stephen King also makes a cameo appearance in one of the short stories that he wrote, called “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill.” Another cameo appearance that might excite horror fans is that of practical special effects iconTom Savini, who has worked extensively with Romero on other projects likeDawn of the Dead(1978) andDay of the Dead(1985).
Needful Things (1993)- Based on the King novel of the same name,Needful Thingsis set in Castle Rock, Maine. A mysterious man named Leland Gaunt (Max Von Sydow) comes into town and opens up an antique store calledNeedful Things. His shop somehow manages to stock items that will fulfill the desires of his customers, but at a great cost. Similar to theEdgar Allen Poestory, “The Monkey’s Paw,” the consequences usually outweigh or negate the original wish or desire. This story has also beenparodied in an episode ofRick and Mortywhere Summer (Spencer Grammar) gets her first job at a store calledNeedful Things.
A Good Marriage (2014)- The most recent Stephen King adaptation to grace the Peacock streaming platform (for now),A Good Marriageis based on King’s 2010 novel of the same name. When Darcy Anderson (Joan Allen) discovers a disturbing piece of pornography in her husband’s possession, she digs further and discovers the wallet of a missing woman who is a presumed victim of serial killer “Beadie.” Her husband, Bob (Anthony LaPaglia) catches on to her discovery and tries to persuade her to feel sympathy for him because he has been heavily influenced by his deceased childhood friend. Darcy and Bob have been happily married with three grown children, but this might be the one thing that could ruinA Good Marriage.
Firestarter: Rekindled (2002)- This two-part miniseries serves as a follow-up to the original 1984Firestarter. Charlie McGee (Marguerite Moreau) is a grown woman now, secretly researching how to suppress her pyrokinetic abilities. Vincent Sforza (Danny Nucci) works at a research firm and has been tasked with locating people who were involved with the 1970s “LOT-6” experiments to deliver a settlement check. These experiments gave Charlie’s parents their supernatural abilities, which they passed on to her. When he locates Charlie, he soon learns that there was never a lawsuit settlement and that he was inadvertently sent by John Rainbird (Malcolm McDowell) the assassin from the original 1984 film. Rainbird, who was supposedly burnt to death by young Charlie, is working on perfecting LOT-6 and arms himself with six young boys who have abilities that could potentially overpower Charlie. She is forced to team up with Vincent and James Richardson (Dennis Hopper), a former victim of the LOT-6 experiments, to battle Rainbird and his newest recruits.
Cat’s Eye (1985)- This is another great Stephen King adaptation that coincidentally features a young Drew Barrymore.Cat’s Eyeis based on three of King’s short stories, all seemingly unrelated to each other. On the contrary, they are all tied together by a stray cat on a mission to save a little girl (Barrymore) pleading for his help. The first story, “Quitters Inc.,” starsJames Woodsas a man who signs up for a program to help him quit smoking. He quickly learns that the company uses unorthodox methods that soon put him and his family in grave danger. The second story, called “The Ledge,” focuses on another type of addiction: gambling. Crime boss Cressner (Kenneth McMillan) kidnaps his wife’s affair partner, athlete, and gambler Johnny Norris (Robert Hays). He forces Norris to gamble with his life by making him scale the small ledge that runs the perimeter of his penthouse apartment. If he can make it all the way around, he gets to live. It’s as simple as that. The third and final story is where the cat (who has made appearances in the other two stories) finally finds his way to the little girl. She adopts him and names him “General.” General learns that the girl is being terrorized by a small troll that enters her room at night. The troll kills her pet parakeet and attempts to kill her by stealing her breath, and it’s up to General to save the day.
The Tomorrow War (2021)- While this is not a Stephen King adaptation, and it’s not available on Peacock, it still deserves an honorable mention because it is Ryan Kiera Armstrong’s (the new Charlie McGee) debut movie. ThisAmazon Prime Original movie starsChris Prattas military veteran Dan Forester. When people from 30 years in the future return to the present day to plead for help, he is among the thousands drafted to be enlisted. As detailed by the soldiers from the future, there are alien creatures currently taking over the world and wiping out the human population at an alarming rate. They are highly intelligent, fast, resilient, and aggressive. Each day that passes brings the extinction of mankind closer. Armstrong may be young, but so was Drew Barrymore when she made her debut as young Gertie in the 1982 movieE.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. She plays the younger version of Forester’s daughter, Muri. When Dan travels to the future to help, he is fighting for his daughter’s future, but he’s caught off-guard when the Colonel that he reports to turns out to be his adult daughter, Muri Forester (Yvonne Strahovski).
Don’t forget to get your tickets to seeFirestarterthis Friday, May 13th, or consider your membership options for Peacock to watch from the comfort of home!
