Stephen King’s Pet Sematary was already adapted in 1989 by Mary Lambert to moderate critical and financial success, but that’s not to say it can’t use a fresh coat of paint, right? In fact, that’s what the folks at Paramount Pictures are thinking, as they’re pushing ahead with a remake of it and tonight, they’ve found two directors to steer the ship.
Taking the helm here will be Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch, the duo who directed 2014 thriller Starry Eyes. No actors have been cast just yet, and further details on the project are understandably scarce, but the gears are now in motion and we expect things to come together quickly.
For those unfamiliar with Pet Sematary, the story follows the Creed family as they move to a small town in the Northeast which borders a cemetery enabling the buried to return. Head of the family, Louis Creed thinks it’s far better to bring his loved ones back from the dead as murderous simulacra than let them rest in peace – but don’t worry, there’s plenty of interfering supporting characters to impart wisdom.
If you recall, a few years ago, Paramount were pursuing the man who loves to remake, Alexandre Aja (Pirahna, The Hills Have Eyes), to whip this gestating project into shape… but nothing happened. Not to mention that Juan Carlos Fresnadillo also briefly flirted with the flick, and even It director Andy Muschietti put his name forth for the job. But it seems that none of those individuals were able to make it work and the studio’s now gone with Widmyer and Kolsch.
While Lambert helmed a pretty decent adaptation (at least, Church the cat was awesome) of the novel back in ’89, it did ultimately fail to properly convey the creeping dread of King’s prose. So, we’re more than alright with some fresh talent taking another stab at Pet Sematary and are excited to see how things continue to develop from here. As always, watch this space for more.