While It team Andrés and Barbara Muschietti expressed their keenness to take a stab at adapting Stephen King’s Pet Sematary earlier this year, Paramount made an equally inspired choice, handing the gig to Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch, the writing/directing duo behind 2014’s Starry Eyes. Though production on the fresh adap is yet to begin, Paramount has now set a release date of April 19th, 2019.
Described by King as “the most frightening book I’ve ever written,” his 1983 novel tells the tale of Louis and Rachel Creed, who discover the re-animating properties of an Indian burial ground behind their new house. Louis decides to bring back their daughter Ellie’s cat after it is killed on the road, but when a horrible tragedy strikes the family, they find out that “sometimes, dead is better.”
The book was previously put on the screen in 1989 by director Mary Lambert but, while not devoid of gut-punch nastiness and memorable imagery, the film never quite came together as a whole, failing to capture the raw emotional horror of King’s novel (one he shelved for years, believing he’d finally gone too far). This is therefore, a reimagining that I feel is wholly worthwhile.
The new adaptation is being produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian and Steven Schneider.
Words: Kevan Farrow (@KevanX)
