The “St. Elmo’s Fire” sequel is in the early stages of development — and while several of the stars from the 1985 movie are allegedly open to reprising their roles, one Hollywood legend is casting doubt on touching the beloved film.
Adam Fields — who worked on ’80s cult classics such as “Sixteen Candles” and “The Breakfast Club” and 2001’s “Donnie Darko” — spoke to The Post about Rob Lowe’s surprising update that a “St. Elmo’s Fire” sequel is in the works four decades later.
In July, Lowe teased that a sequel to the coming-of-age film, which featured Lowe and co-stars Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson and Andrew McCarthy, was in the “very, very, very, very, very early stages.”
Earlier this month, the actor gave a status update.
“Everybody wants to do it,” Lowe told Entertainment Tonight in a video posted Feb. 11. “We’re making it happen, you know. The script’s getting written, and then we’re off and running. But gotta write the script — which they’re doing.”
At the opening of Tarantino | Pulp Rock at Hollywood Park last week, Fields shared his thoughts about the possible sequel, revealing that some blockbusters are untouchable.
When asked specifically about “St. Elmo’s Fire,” Fields told The Post, “I haven’t read it [the script], and I don’t know what their approach is. I mean, I feel like most of these movies were a moment in time, and they reflected a moment in time, so I don’t know how they can do anything.”
Fields then answered questions about whether he’d remake one of his projects, like “Sixteen Candles,” to which he responded, “Why?”
“I think it’s really hard because none of those movies were plot-driven. They’re really character-driven,” he said of the ’80s flicks. “I mean, what’s the plot of ‘Sixteen Candles’? Oh, yeah. Birthday. Parents forget and all that. ‘Breakfast Club,’ you know, bunch of kids sitting around in Saturday detention. People are very concept-driven now. And I think those movies weren’t about concept, they were about the characters, and it reflected a period of time. I think ‘Breakfast Club’ is so … I think it fascinates people because everyone sees themselves in one of those characters. Everyone was either the prom queen, the weird girl, the jock, the nerd, the rebel.”
Fields continued to share why it’d be a difficult task to revive a movie like “St. Elmo’s Fire,” explaining that streaming services are like time machines allowing people to discover classics from the past.
“People are finding these movies for the first time now, so they’re still new movies because they’re kind of timeless,” he told The Post. “So, you can see ‘Breakfast Club’ [and] if you’ve seen it before now you wouldn’t know that we made it [40 years ago].”
Fields shared that the good thing about streaming services is “that you can watch whatever you want. Now, for the first time.”
While he pointed out that it’s “so easy” for people to discover films from the past on Netflix, Hulu and more, the Hollywood heavyweight said the downside is that it makes films “more disposable than when you’ve paid money to sit in the theater, and you can’t be on your phone.”
On the other hand, Fields added, “It’s introducing a whole new audience to them.”
“St. Elmo’s Fire” followed seven friends navigating life and friendships after graduating college. Several of the cast members — playfully known as the Brat Pack — reunited on-screen for their co-star McCarthy’s “Brats” documentary last year.
Lowe shared that the project “only added to the excitement around” a “St. Elmo’s” sequel.
