Mike Flanagan’s Latest Stephen King Adaptation Takes a Different Turn

Mike Flanagan has solidified his position as a master adapter of Stephen King’s stories, with notable works including the theatrical film Doctor Sleep, based on the sequel to King’s The Shining, and the Netflix film Gerald’s Game, which brought King’s “unfilmable” novel to life. He is also working on a Carrie series for Prime Video and has been developing a Dark Tower TV series. However, his next King-adjacent project, The Life of Chuck, stands out for one significant reason: it deviates from the horror genre.

The Life of Chuck is not entirely unknown, as it is based on a novella from King’s 2020 collection If It Bleeds, which also features Mr. Harrigan’s Phone. The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People’s Choice Award, and Neon has acquired distribution rights. Although the first teaser reveals little, we can draw some conclusions based on this information.

The official description is intentionally vague, stating that the film is “a life-affirming, genre-bending story based on Stephen King’s novella about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz.” We do know that Tom Hiddleston will play Charles Krantz, and the teaser introduces two other actors who seem to play younger versions of him. The cast also includes Matthew Lillard, Karen Gillan, David Dastmalchian, Annalise Basso, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Siegel, Mia Sara, Samantha Sloyan, Nick Offerman, Carl Lumbly, Rahul Kohli, Harvey Guillén, Jacob Tremblay, and Mark Hamill, featuring several regular collaborators of Mike Flanagan.

More information about the film’s genres will be revealed when the full trailer is released, and the complete story will be told when The Life of Chuck hits theaters in June.

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