The last update we had on Paramount Pictures’ planned Pet Sematary remake came, not coincidentally, last Halloween. That was to report that directors Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer (Starry Eyes) were on board to helm the remake produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian and Steven Schneider. Now’s the time for a new wave of Stephen King adaptations, and the next step in the production of one of the prolific author’s most iconic stories is casting the damned thing.

Now, THR reports that Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) is in negotiations to star as the remake’s lead, playing the part of Dr. Louis Creed. Originally adapted back in 1989 by Paramount with Mary Lambert at the helm, Pet Sematary centers on the Creed family who move to the countryside for peace and relaxation, only to find that the land there is sour and cursed. While Dale Midkiff played the part perfectly well in the original adaptation, its standouts were the late Fred Gwynne as the towering, drawling Jud Crandall, and young Miko Hughes as the Creeds’ son, Gage. (And let’s not forget Church.) Those will be some tough shoes to fill in the reboot, but Clarke is a good start.

As for Clarke’s current schedule, he can be seen in Chappaquiddick, playing the part of Ted Kennedy. Other upcoming projects include Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong biopic First Man with Ryan Gosling, James Kent‘s war drama/romance The Aftermath with Keira Knightley, and Steven Knight‘s thriller Serenity starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway.

Here’s a look at the official synopsis of King’s book (via Amazon):

When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic and rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Yet despite Ludlow’s tranquility, there’s an undercurrent of danger that exists here. Those trucks on the road outside the Creed’s beautiful old home travel by just a little too quickly, for one thing…as is evidenced by the makeshift pet cemetery out back in the nearby woods. Then there are the warnings to Louis both real and from the depths of his nightmares that he should not venture beyond the borders of this little graveyard. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there—one more terrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful. An ominous fate befalls anyone who dares tamper with this forbidden place, as Louis is about to discover for himself…

via Collider