A Pet Sematary prequel is coming to Paramount+, ViacomCBS rebranded CBS All Access streaming service (which can be subscribed to with a free trial by clicking here) that is set to debut on March 4. Set to act as a prequel to the 2019 adaptation of Stephen King‘s horror classic, the upcoming film, which does not yet have a premiere date, was confirmed to be in the works Wednesday.
According to Deadline, the upcoming film will serve as an “origins story” to King’s bestselling novel-turned-film, which follows a family after moving to the country from the big city and discovering a pet cemetery that exists on ancient burial grounds. Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce the movie, with a script coming from Jeff Buhler. Both di Bonaventura and Buhler worked on the 2019 remake. Further details on the film, including when production is slated to star, remain unclear.
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After King wrote and published the novel, which he has said to be the darkest novel of his career, in 1983, Pet Sematary was adapted by Mary Lambert into a film in 1989. That film has since become a cult classic. Lambert also directed a sequel to the film, which was released in 1992, Bloody Disgusting notes. In 2019, Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer’s adaptation debuted, making a massive $113 million at the box office on a reported $21 million production budget. Speaking with Consequence of Sound following the film’s release, di Bonaventurahad teased a possible 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,” he told the outlet. “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 feeling about it.”
The Pet Sematary prequel is just one of several films the streaming service plans to release as part of its effort to expand its film offerings, with other horror offerings set to include a “new, unexpected chapter” of Paranormal Activity. At launch, Paramount+ will have 2,500 movies. The studio’s theatrical slate will also stream exclusively on Paramount+ 45 days after their theatrical run, including major titles like Mission: Impossible 7 and A Quiet Place Part 2. Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.
