10 Movie Remakes You Didn't Know Were In The Works

The Original: Made when Hollywood's initial infatuation with the works of Stephen King was at its peak, director Mark L Lester's 1984 film cast Drew Barrymore as Charlie, an innocent youngster with terrifying pyrokinetic abilities.

The Remake: It was announced in April 2017 that seasoned screenwriter and sometime director Akiva Goldsman would go behind the camera for a new take on King's 1980 novel, in cahoots with the reigning king of big screen horror, producer Jason Blum.

Should We Be Excited?

1984's Firestarter is notable for proving Barrymore's turn in ET wasn't a one-off, and featured an impressive supporting cast including George C Scott, Louise Fletcher and Martin Sheen. Even so, it hasn't necessarily stood the test of time.

In the wake of It, Hollywood's interest in King has very much been reignited (no pun intended there). Projects in the works include a Pet Sematary remake and an adaptation of Doctor Sleep, to which Goldsman is also attached. It's worth noting that Goldsman doesn't have the best history with King adaptations, having penned 2017 misfire The Dark Tower.

Even so, there's no real reason why a Firestarter remake couldn't work - but given how similar Charlie is to Eleven from Netflix's Stranger Things, they may have their work cut out to make the character stand apart for modern audiences.