Firestarter

Firestarter is a 2022 American science fiction horror film directed by Keith Thomas, from a screenplay by Scott Teems, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, and a remake of the 1984 film of the same name. The film stars Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Sydney Lemmon, Kurtwood Smith, John Beasley (in his final film role), Michael Greyeyes, and Gloria Reuben. It is produced by Jason Blum and Akiva Goldsman under their Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Pictures banners, respectively, alongside BoulderLight Pictures and Night Platform. Firestarter was released in the United States on May 13, 2022, by Universal Pictures simultaneously theatrically and through streaming on Peacock. The film was panned by critics and audiences, with many deeming it to be inferior to the original 1984 film, and grossed $15 million worldwide against a $12 million budget. Armstrong was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress, but it was rescinded due to controversy over her young age. Plot In a flashback, baby Charlene "Charlie" McGee sits in her crib, spontaneously setting the room ablaze with her pyrokinesis power and sending her father Andrew "Andy" McGee into a panic. In another flashback, a young Andy and his girlfriend Victoria "Vicky" Tomlinson talk to a doctor in a clinical trial, who explains to them that they will be injected with the experimental chemical drug Lot-6, which secretly gives them supernatural powers: Andy gains telepathy, and Vicky obtains telekinesis. In the present day, Charlie is sitting at the kitchen table after having a nightmare. Her parents join her and Charlie explains that she has been repressing something bad, her powers becoming more unstable. She unintentionally causes a ruckus at her school after exploding a bathroom stall due to anger at being bullied. Andy is shown using his power, "the push", to influence a client to stop smoking, although the strain causes his eyes to bleed.