With the TV series "11/22/63" now filming, and big adaptations of "The Stand" and "It" on the horizon, there may be some Stephen King fans longing for the days when movies based on his books were a bit more lo-fi, a little campy, and definitely nasty. 1989’s "Pet Sematary" fits the bill, and Guillermo del Toro wouldn’t mind taking his own stab at the material.
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With the director’s sumptuous and delightfully old-fashioned horror flick "Crimson Peak" opening this weekend, he’s finally putting his feet up with a good book. This morning, del Toro tweeted that "Pet Sematary" was "compulsive reading" and that he "would kill to make it on film." Truth be told, it’s actually not that far out a possibility.
A few years ago, there was a remake in the works with Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ("28 Weeks Later") attached to direct, with a script from Matt Greenberg ("1408," "Reign Of Fire") and David Kajganich ("The Invasion," "Blood Creek"). Nothing really happened with it, but maybe whichever producers have the rights should give del Toro a call. I’d be curious to see his take on the material.
For now, del Toro is still trying to get the green light on "Pacific Rim 2," and he’ll shoot a smaller scale movie next year that he’s keeping under wraps. "Crimson Peak" opens today.
Book of the Day: PET SEMATARY by Stephen King. Unrelentingly dark and emotional. Compulsive reading. Would kill to make it on film.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) October 16, 2015