It was announced late last year that Zac Efron (Baywatch, The Greatest Showman) had signed on to play the male lead in Universal and Blumhouse's upcoming reboot of Stephen King's Firestarter, and the project has now found its villain.
Michael Greyeyes (Fear The Walking Dead, Wild Indian) has been cast as John Raindbird; a "relentless, powerful man who has been pushed into a violent life." The character is a chilling, ruthless psychopath in the book, so Greyeyes should have a lot of fun sinking his teeth into the role.
King's novel tells the story of a man with psychic abilities (Efron) who goes on the run with his pyrotechnic daughter when a government agency known as The Shop targets them in order to harness their abilities. They soon find themselves being hunted by a lethal assassin (Greyeyes) and must go to extreme lengths to evade capture.
This new take on Firestarter will be directed by Keith Thomas (The Vigil). The script is being written by Halloween Kills and Rectify scribe Scott Teems, who will also executive produce alongside Jason Blum, Akiva Goldsman and Martha De Laurentiis.
The story was previously adapted as a 1984 movie starring Drew Barrymore, David Keith, Freddie Jones, Heather Locklear, and Martin Sheen. George C. Scott played Rainbird.