Universal Studios to Reboot Stephen King’s ‘Firestarter’: Report

Universal Studios and Dino De Laurentiis Co. will reboot the 1984 Stephen King adaptation “Firestarter” as a multi-movie franchise, Variety reported Tuesday.

The original film starred a young Drew Barrymore as a girl with the power to start fires with her mind. Cable network SyFy aired the miniseries sequel “Firestarter 2: Rekindled,” featuring Barrymore’s character as an adult played by a different actress, in 2002.

"We see this as a unique, character-driven thriller with a supernatural edge, based on a timeless concept and enhanced by recent visual effects advances," said Martha De Laurentiis of Dino De Laurentiis Co.

In the original novel and series, the girl’s powers were the result of drug experiments undergone by her parents, not the supernatural.

The reboot will be written by Mark L. Smith, who has previously written the horror films “Vacancy” and “The Hole.”