'Pet Sematary' redo taps '1408' scribe

11:02 PM PDT 10/13/2010 by Borys Kit, AP

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Matthew Greenberg to write screenplay for Paramount film

Matthew Greenberg, who wrote the Stephen King adaptation "1408," is heading back to King territory with "Pet Sematary."

Lorenzo di Bonaventura recently boarded as producer on the long-gestating project, which is set up at Paramount. Steven Schneider also is producing.

Published in 1983, King's creeper tale centered on a family that trades the city life for the country life in Maine, then discovers that they have moved near a pet cemetery that rests on an ancient burial ground. When the husband's toddler son is killed in an auto accident, the father takes the boy's body to the cemetery, where it is resurrected in demonic form.
Paramount brought the book to life in 1989, with a feature version adapted by King that starred Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby and Fred Gwynne.

Matthew Greenberg

The new project at one point was being produced by Alphaville, working with a screenplay by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary ("Face/Off"), and had George Clooney circling.

Film group president Adam Goodman, looking over library titles, deemed it worthy to resuscitate.

Mark Vahradian and David Ready are overseeing for Di Bonaventura Pictures. The company is in production on comic-book adaptation "Red," starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren.

Greenberg, repped by UTA, has carved out a career in the fantasy and horror genres. Among his credits are "Reign of Fire," "Halloween: H20" and "Mimic."