Zac Efron has been cast as the dad in new Firestarter remake

30 September 2020, 12:25

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By Katie Louise Smith

Zac Efron is playing dads now? I suddenly feel so very old.

Zac Efron's dad era is finally upon us. Alongside the news that he'll be starring in a Disney+ remake of Three Men and a Baby, it's just been revealed that Zac is also set to play the dad of a nine-year-old in a remake of Stephen King's classic novel Firestarter.

As reported by Collider, Zac is set to play Andy McGee, a father who ends up on the run with his daughter (who has pyrokinetic abilities) after he finds out that the government want to weaponise her powers.

Stephen King's Firestarter was first turned into a film back in 1984 starring a young Drew Barrymore as Charlie McGee.

Charlie was born with pyrokinetic abilities after her parents participated in an experiment that resulted in them developing their own telepathic abilities. (Stranger Things was heavily inspired by the novel, by the way. Big Eleven energy.)

While the news is very exciting, Zac's casting has been a real "How old am I?" moment for a looot of people. Zac is turning 33 years old in October, so it's completely plausible that he's about to play the father of a nine-year-old on screen. But it seems like only yesterday he was doing Frat comedies – and now he's a whole fictional movie dad.

“Zac Efron playing the dad in the new Firestarter is ultimately the first "feel old yet?" moment to truly get under my skin” wrote culture journalist Louis Peitzman.

Writer Trace Thurman also added: “Zac Efron signing on to play the dad (I assume) in a new FIRESTARTER adaptation is exactly the type of "you're getting old" news I did NOT need to hear today."

The passage of time strikes again. Bring on Dad Zefron. We're ready.