In 2019 a Pet Sematary remake hit theaters and it did quite well, earning over $100M worldwide when reviews were just so-so. That was apparently good enough, because earlier this year we learned about a follow-up, a prequel, that would head straight to Paramount+. Now it has one of Hollywood’s hottest writers on board making her directorial debut.
According to Deadline, Sierra Burgess is a Loser writer Lindsey Beer will direct the Pet Sematary follow-up. Their report mentions nothing about it being a prequel, however, so those plans may have changed. Beer will also take a shot at the script, rewriting the draft from Jeff Buhler, who penned the previous film.
The story is based on one of King’s scariest novels, and centers on a family that moves to a Maine town, only to find a pet cemetery behind their home. Little do they know there’s also a Native American burial ground that returns to “life” anything buried there, human or animal, only they come back twisted and evil.
It’s unclear where this next film will go. The original 1989 Pete Sematary was directed by Mary Lambert, so in a way Paramount’s hiring of Beer is a return to putting a female touch on the material. Lambert also directed the 1992 sequel, which wasn’t based on any of King’s works, and I think there’s a good chance that’s the approach Beer will take.
Beer is crazy busy with about a half-dozen projects on the way including a film based on the M.A.S.K. toys and cartoon, a live-action Bambi movie, and an adaptation of The Kingkiller Chronicle.
