Michael Greyeyes Joins the Cast of Stephen King’s FIRESTARTER Reboot at Universal & Blumhouse
Michael Greyeyes (Wild Indian, Rutherford Falls, True Detective) has been cast as the character of “Rainbird” in the upcoming reboot of Stephen King’s Firestarter; the character is described as “a relentless powerful man who has been pushed into a violent life”.
The project is currently in the works from Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Pictures.
As previously announced, Keith Thomas (The Vigil) will direct the film that is being adapted by writer Scott Teems (Halloween Kills, Rectify), who will also executive produce.
Jason Blum and Academy Award® winner Akiva Goldsman will produce. Martha De Laurentiis, who was an associate producer on the 1984 adaptation of Firestarter starring a young Drew Barrymore, will executive produce.
Synopsis:
A young girl develops pyrokinetic abilities and is abducted by a secret government agency that wants to harness her powerful gift as a weapon.
About Michael Greyeyes:
Michael Greyeyes is a multi-hyphenate talent – actor, director, choreographer, and scholar – whose diverse career from stage to screen spans over 25 years. He currently stars in the thriller Wild Indian, the feature debut by writer/director Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr, which premiered in competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The film follows two Anishinaabe men who are inextricably bound together after covering up the savage murder of a schoolmate. After years of separation following wildly divergent paths, they must finally confront how their traumatic secret has irrevocably shaped their lives. Greyeyes received rave reviews from critics for his gripping portrayal of “Makwa/Michael.” This Spring, he will be star opposite Ed Helms in the new Peacock comedy, Rutherford Falls. Co-created executive produced by Helms, Mike Schur (The Good Place) and Sierra Teller Ornelas, the series is set in a small town in upstate New York and the Native American reservation it borders.
In the past two years, Greyeyes has made impactful and resonating appearances in a handful of critically acclaimed projects including recurring roles on HBO’s anthology crime drama True Detective, opposite Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff, and the HBO limited series, I Know This Much Is True, opposite Mark Ruffalo. He also starred in the independent horror film, Blood Quantum, written and directed by Mi’gmaq filmmaker Jeff Barnaby, which featured an Indigenous cast. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. The groundbreaking film blends horror with socio political subtext, imagining a world in which those with indigenous blood are immune to a vicious zombie apocalypse.
His other film credits include the Disney+ live-action film, Togo, about two of the key figures in the 1925 Nome Serum Run, and Woman Walks Ahead, where he starred alongside Jessica Chastain and Sam Rockwell, in A24 and DirecTV’s western drama. In the film he portrayed Chief Sitting Bull, which follows widowed artist Catherine Weldon (Chastain) who travelled to North Dakota in the 1880’s to paint the infamous Lakota Sioux Indian leader. Inspired by true events and directed by Susanna White, the film premiered in competition at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017 and had a Special Gala Screening at the Tribeca Film Festival. He has appeared in numerous feature films, including The New World, directed by Terence Malick, Skipped Parts, Passchendaele and Dance Me Outside, a cult-classic directed by Bruce McDonald.
On the small screen, Greyeyes will soon return for the second season of Apple Original mystery drama series Home Before Dark. He recently starred alongside Ian Somerhalder in the Netflix Original Series V-Wars, based on Jonathan Maberry’s bestselling book. In its third season, Greyeyes joined the cast of Fear the Walking Dead, AMC’s hit companion series to The Walking Dead. His other television credits include: Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Crazy Horse (TNT), and Tecumseh in Tecumseh’s Vision (PBS) to mini-series such as Klondike (Discovery), Saints and Strangers (National Geographic), and Dreamkeeper (ABC).
Born and raised in Canada, Greyeyes is Plains Cree from the Muskeg Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan. He graduated from Kent State University with a master’s degree in the Fine Arts at the School of Theatre and Dance and is also a graduate of The National Ballet School where he went on to join The National Ballet of Canada company. In 2010, Greyeyes founded a Canadian non-profit theatre organization, Signal Theatre, a company that explores intercultural and transdisciplinary live performance. He serves as the Artistic Director for the theatre.
Greyeyes’s select directing credits include: A Soldier’s Tale, from thine eyes (Signal Theatre), Pimooteewin (Soundstreams), Almighty Voice and his Wife (Native Earth Performing Arts), & Seven Seconds (2010 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival). Most recently he directed Yvette Nolan’s adaptation of Aristophanes The Birds at York University, where he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre in the School of Arts, Performance, Media and Design.
Greyeyes currently resides with his family in Toronto.
We don’t have release information for Firestarter at this time, but we’ll keep you posted as details are announced. Stay tuned and check back often!
In the meantime, check out the trailer for 1984’s Firestarter below.
Synopsis:
As youths, Andy McGee (David Keith) and his future wife, Vicky (Heather Locklear), participated in secret experiments, allowing themselves to be subjected to mysterious medical tests. Years later, the couple’s daughter, Charlie (Drew Barrymore), begins to exhibit the ability of setting fires solely with her mind. This volatile talent makes the youngster extremely dangerous and soon she becomes a target for the enigmatic agency known as “The Shop.”
1984’s Firestarter was directed by Mark L. Lester.
Are you a fan of Stephen King and Firestarter? Are you excited to see how this latest iteration develops? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
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