Rob Lowe is teasing that there is still plenty of fuel for the “St. Elmo’s Fire” sequel.
The actor said during SiriusXM’s “Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa” that the full cast of the original 1985 film are confirmed to reprise their respective roles, and that “The Substance” Oscar contender Demi Moore has especially been instrumental to the revival.
The feature, which was originally directed by late filmmaker Joel Schumacher and co-written by Carl Kurlander, also stars Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Andie MacDowell, and Mare Winningham. MacDowell’s daughter Margaret Qualley co-led “The Substance” with Moore.
A possible sequel to “St. Elmo’s Fire” was announced in June 2024 after the release of McCarthy’s documentary “Brats” which revisited the era of the Brat Pack actors.
“We’re very much in contact now because we are actively trying to do ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ sequel,” Lowe said, citing his discussions with Moore. “I have been waiting for [the sequel] for 20 years, 25 years.”
“St. Elmo’s Fire” centers on a group of recent college graduates from Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown University as they enter adulthood. According to Lowe, any sequel would take place in modern day and follow what the onscreen friend group has been up to since the ’80s.
“It’s moving along. It’s going a little more slowly than I would have liked, but that’s a good thing because we’re trying to find the right writer and the right story,” Lowe said. “But all of the actors, everybody is onboard. Everybody’s excited.”
Lowe also explained why he thinks “St. Elmo’s Fire” is a timelessly relatable film about coming-of-age.
“I think the notion that the reason that movie still resonates with people are two things. One: It was a hit in its time because it spoke to where we all were in our lives. Will we ever have the kind of deep friendships coming out of college and coming out of our early twenties? Will that last in our lives?” Lowe said. “And where are we headed now that we’re really adults? I think the theme of ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ today is that it’s never too late for happiness. And that is, you know, because our kids are out of school, and maybe some of us have been divorced, all the things that you deal with when you get to our ages…This is an opportunity to explore those themes with characters that people know and love.”
He added, “As opposed to just a money run, let’s just reboot it because people know the title of it. I actually think there’s a lot to be said about why we’re doing it and I’m super excited about it. Hopefully we can pull it off.”
Lowe previously told Entertainment Tonight that the team has “met with the studio and I have been talking about doing it for about four months. But it’s very, very, very, very, very early stages. So we will see.”
