The latest adaptation of Stephen King’s 1983 Pet Sematary–arguably his creepiest novel–has started casting. And the first choice is an intriguing one.
Jackson White (the upcoming Ambulance) has signed on with Paramount Players, as reported by Deadline, for the role of a young Jud Crandall in the film. The movie–slated to start shooting in August–will air exclusively on Paramount+.
The interesting thing about this casting choice is the fact that Crandall is the older character in the novel who introduces the Creed family to the ancient burial ground that has the unnerving power to raise the dead.
Fred Gwynne famously played the part in the original 1989 film, and then John Lithgow handled the role in the 2019 reboot. White is considerably younger than either of those accomplished actors were at the time they played the part, fueling early speculation that this new Pet Sematary may be a prequel of sorts.
First-time director Lindsey Beer wrote the screenplay (from a draft by Jeff Buhler, who penned the 2019 remake) and will helm the film. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian are on board as producers.
The original Pet Sematary–scripted by King himself and directed by Mary Lambert–received mixed reviews, but struck a chord with moviegoers, earning $57.5 million on an $11.5-million budget. The reboot performed even better at the box office, raking in $113 million on a budget of $21 million.
Keep reading Horror News Network for the latest on this new adaptation of Pet Sematary.
