There are no superheroes in the world of Stephen King’s Firestarter. However, there are superhuman abilities — and a very real desire to exploit them. Andy McGee (Zac Efron) and his wife, Vicky McGee (Sydney Lemmon), were both given powers during experiments run by The Shop, a black ops government agency. Andy and Vicky got away, but their child, Charlie McGee (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), is highly coveted by The Shop because her pyrokinetic abilities far surpass the relatively mild powers of her parents.
In the first of two preview scenes from Firestarter, Andy tries to keep Charlie from releasing her powers as they hide from The Shop. And while Charlie’s gift is immense, her desire to control herself is questionable at best.
In the second clip, John Rainbird (Michael Greyeyes) has a knife to Charlie’s throat and a willingness to use it. That turns out to be a huge mistake … for Rainbird. In this case, Charlie’s lack of control works out in her favor. But Rainbird is far less fortunate as he pays the price for threatening her family.
Kurtwood Smith co-stars in the movie as Dr. Joseph Wanless, with John Beasley as Irv Manders, and Gloria Reuben as Captain Hollister. Legendary horror director John Carpenter composed the film’s score alongside his son, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies.
Firestarter is based on King’s novel of the same name, and it’s also a remake of the 1984 Firestarter movie starring Drew Barrymore as Charlie McGee. Keith Thomas directed the Firestarter reboot from script by Scott Teems. It will be released in theaters on Friday, May 13 with a simultaneous launch on Peacock.
