Louis Creed, his wife Rachel and their two children Gage and Ellie move to a rural home where they are welcomed and enlightened about the eerie 'Pet Sematary' located near their home. After the tragedy of their cat being killed by a truck, Louis resorts to burying it in the mysterious pet cemetery, which is definitely not as it seems, as it proves to the Creeds that sometimes, dead is better.
Thankfully Denise Crosby had the good sense to quit STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION and star in the original version of this movie. She knew that further huge film roles would follow.
Australian actor Jason Clarke (“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Mudbound,” “The Great Gatsby”) is in negotiations to star in the new adaptation of Stephen King’s classic horror novel “Pet Sematary” for Paramount Pictures.
The story follows a doctor (Clarke) who moves his family out of the big city to the country. He discovers that they have moved near a pet cemetery that resides next to an ancient American-Indian burial ground.
When the husband’s toddler son is killed in an auto accident, the father takes the boy’s body to the burial ground, where it is resurrected but is not quite right. Jeff Buhler wrote the most recent draft of the adaptation.
Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch (“Starry Eyes”) are helming while Jeff Buhler wrote the most recent draft of the adaptation. Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, and Steven Schneider are producing.
The film was previously translated to screen in 1989 with Dale Midkiff in Clarke’s role.
Veteran thesp John Lithgow will play the kindly but lonely country neighbor Jud Crandall in the upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary” for Paramount Pictures.
Jason Clarke stars as a husband and father who has moved into a new home by a busy highway with his family, and befriends Jud who tells him about a peculiar pet burial ground and an even stranger place that lies beyond it.
Fred Gwynne played the Jud character in the original 1989 film adaptation. “Starry Eyes” filmmakers Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch helm the new version from a script by Jeff Buhler.
Amy Seimetz (“Alien: Covenant”) has scored the female lead opposite Jason Clarke and John Lithgow in the new adaptation of Stephen King’s novel “Pet Sematary” for Paramount Pictures.
The story follows a doctor (Clarke) who moves his family out of the big city to the country. He discovers that they have moved near a pet cemetery that resides next to an ancient American-Indian burial ground.
When the husband’s toddler son is killed in an auto accident, the father takes the boy’s body to the burial ground, where it is resurrected but is not quite right. Seimetz will play the doctor’s wife, a role Denise Crosby played in the original 1989 film.
David Kajganich, Matt Greenberg and Jeff Buhler are penning the script and Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer (“Starry Eyes”) are helming the film, while Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Steven Schneider and Mark Vahradian are producing.
Pet Sematary
Filming has apparently wrapped on “Pet Sematary,” the new adaptation of the Stephen King novel from “Starry Eyes” directors Dennis Widmyer, Kevin Kolsch and John Lithgow as Jud Crandall. Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz also star in the film which opens in April.
~ Usually I don't pine for remakes but this one truly interests me. Now I can't wait to see it. Maybe because Pet Semetary is one of my favorite novels of Stephen King.
"Though nothing can bring back the hour Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower; We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind."
Australian actor Jason Clarke has defended one of the major changes to the upcoming remake of Stephen King’s famed horror tale “Pet Sematary” at Paramount Pictures. MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD
In both the original book and film, the story follows a doctor who moves his wife and two kids out of the big city to the country. He discovers that they have moved near a pet cemetery that resides next to an ancient American-Indian burial ground.
When their toddler son is killed in an auto accident, the father takes the boy’s body to the burial ground, where it is resurrected but is not quite right. The full trailer for the new film released last month gives away that those involved have switched the victim – now it’s no longer the toddler son but the pre-teen daughter who is resurrected.
Clarke, who plays the father, spoke with Flickering Myth this week about his new film “The Aftermath” and was asked about the change to ‘Pet’ and why it was done:
“It’s pretty easy to justify [the change]. You can’t play that movie with a three-year-old boy. You end up with a doll or some animated thing. So you’re going to get a much deeper, richer story by swapping for a seven-year-old or nine-year-old girl.
The reward will come. People who are upset will hopefully see the benefit of it. But a lot of people didn’t have an issue. Stephen King didn’t have an issue with it.
As an actor, ultimately, you don’t care. It’s like saying ‘how do you approach playing a real person?’. You have to serve what’s on the page and what the director wants and what happens on the day. You don’t have any choice.”
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura previously defended the change and admits both he and directors Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch were nervous about it but couldn’t ‘do much’ with a three-year-old zombie character.
Amy Seimetz and John Lithgow co-star in the film which opens on April 4th.
I have to admit, when I saw the change in the last trailer, it threw me. But I think that in the context of the film, it will be an interesting change. And if it has King's approval, then I'm cool. I'm still pretty pumped for this movie.
Following strong reviews out of SXSW, there’s already talk of a possible follow-up to the newest adaptation of Stephen King’s iconic novel “Pet Sematary”.
In the books, the Creed family moves to the country town of Ludlow, Maine in a house surrounded by woods. In those woods likes a pet cemetery and beyond that an ancient burial ground that has the power to raise the dead.
King never wrote a follow-up, but the previous 1989 film adaptation scored a sequel in 1992. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the producer of the new version, spoke with Consequence of Sound recently and said this take won’t be like its predecessor and make a sequel. There is, however, the possibility of a prequel:
“I think if there’s anything here, there’s a prequel. I think if you look at the book, we didn’t cover all that stuff that happens before the Creed family moves in. So, I think there’s a movie there, and I think I’d be particularly interested in doing that, because, again, it’s the source material and you are going toward something that also has a lot of crazy, creepy feelings about it.”
The new film takes some major liberties with the book, ignoring some key characters (eg. Timmy Baterman) and changing both a key victim and a massive overhaul of the ending. Even so, it’s more faithful in other ways than the previous film was such as its handling of the subplot of the wife’s late sister Zelda.
A prequel would likely involve some of the glossed over material along with including a younger version of John Lithgow’s Jud Crandall. The new “Pet Semetary” opens April 5th.
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