Firestarter remake image reveals first look at its pint-sized pyrokinetic Charlie

Firestarter
(Image credit: Blumhouse)

The Stephen King universe continues to dominate screens big and small. Next is a modern adaptation of the macabre maestro's 1980 tome Firestarter set up at Blumhouse productions, which has now landed its lead. As reported by Deadline, American Horror Story's Ryan Keira Armstrong will tackle the part of firestarter Charlie McGee.

Also revealed is a first look at Armstrong in the role that made Drew Barrymore famous in the 1984 adaptation. It's safe to say… there's similarities.

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At the tender age of 11, Armstrong's stacked up a decent list of credits. She snagged a sizable role in American Horror Story season 10, popped into another King property, It, for a brief but scary sequence, and if that wasn't enough she's due to appear in this year's Black Widow. Plenty of proof she's got what it takes to tackle this classic King property.

The story revolves around a pyrokinetic girl whose abilities draw the attention of a shady government organization called The Shop. Zac Efron is on board as her father Andy McGee whose participation in experiments caused Charlie's unique abilities. Behind the camera, The Vigil's Keith Thomas directs from a script by Halloween Kills' scribe Scott Teems.

This upcoming reworking of King's tale appears to be going all-in on the effects – a good sign for a movie about a kid who can set things on fire with her mind. A recent tweet from Blumhouse signaled the start of shooting, and they're definitely cranking up the heat, by the looks of this poor guy:

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Before Firestarter arrives in theaters, check out our ranking of the best Stephen King movies. Or, if you're in the mood for more frights, make sure to read our best horror movies of all time ranking.

Gem Seddon

Gem Seddon is GamesRadar+'s west coast Entertainment News Reporter, working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.