Superheroes & Stranger Things Could Ruin Stephen King’s Firestarter Remake
2022’s Firestarter looks set to introduce a new generation to one of Stephen King’s best-loved horror stories, but the popularity of Netflix hit Stranger Things (and superhero movies more broadly) may hinder the remake’s impact. When Firestarter was released in 1980, the novel was the latest in a string of critical and commercial hits for horror legend Stephen King. The book was soon turned into a movie that fared fine at the box office, although 1984’s Firestarter was not as critically adored as director Tobe Hooper’s iconicSalem’s Lot adaptation.
However, despite its muted critical reception, in the decades since the movie’s release, Firestarter has become one of King’s most unexpectedly influential books. The tale of a small child who learns she can manipulate fire through her feelings, Firestarter was one of the earliest popular novels to subvert the familiar tropes of the conventional superhero story. However, the very elements that made Firestarter such a revolutionary story at the time of its original release may cause its upcoming remake to feel outdated.
Related: Stephen King’s Best Period Horror Story Has No Movie Adaptation
2022’s Firestarter remake arrives in cinemas and will be on streaming in May 2022. Starring Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Charlie, the story’s heroine, and Zac Efron as her beleaguered father Andy, Firestarter hopes to follow It’s two-part blockbuster adaptation and become another successful high-profile remake from King’s back catalog. However, while the original novel was a big hit and its adaptation fared fairly well, their story of a super-powered young heroine discovering her abilities while on the run from shady government operatives may now be too familiar for genre fans. The original
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