Zac Efron Is Starring In Stephen King Psychological Thriller 'Firestarter' Reboot

Zac Efron is set to star in a reboot of Stephen King's sci-fi thriller Firestarter, from Universal, Blumhouse and Weed Road.

Yep, the news was appropriately announced on the 1980's novel's 40th anniversary, and we also learnt that filmmaker Keith Thomas would be directing the hit, penned by writer Scott Teems (famed for hits such as Halloween Kills and The Quarry).

The novel follows a young girl, Charlie McGee, who realises she has pyrokinetic abilities and is lured to a secret government agency in the hopes they can use her powers as a weapon.

And Zac, 32, will take up the role of the girl's father, Andy McGee, who also has powers of his own.

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Jason Blum and Oscar winning Akiva Goldsman will serve as producers on the movie, while Martha De Laurentiis, who also worked on the first film, back in 1984, will executive produce.

For those that need a recap, the first movie starred Drew Barrymore as Charlie, while David Keith took on Efron's role.

Check out a trailer below:

It followed Andy and Vicky Tomlinson (Heather Locklear), who volunteered in a scientific experiment for cash, which involved being given a low-grade hallucinogen called LOT-6.

Vicky and Andy both developed telepathic abilities after the experiment, while others who took part had more negative side-effects.

Vicky was able to read minds while Andy could control others and manipulate them into doing what he wanted - only inhibited by the nosebleeds he got when trying to utilise this power.

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But when the couple married an welcomed nine-year-old daughter Charlene "Charlie" McGee, (Drew Barrymore), they never thought she'd develop psychic powers, and the ability to see into the future.

We won't give away the rest of the story, but essentially, it follows Andy as he seeks to protect his daughter from the establishment, who want to use her for their own gain.

We don't yet know who will be playing Charlie in the remake, as the full cast-list has not yet been revealed.

We'll update you as soon as we know more!

Topics: TV News, TV Entertainment, Zac Efron

Joanna Freedman

Joanna is a journalist at Tyla with a particular interest in highlighting women's issues and telling inspiring first person stories. She's also their resident foodie, and loves covering exciting new beauty launches, too. Contact her at [email protected].

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