According to Deadline, writer/director Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House) has lined up his next project: a feature film adaptation of Stephen King’s 2020 short story, “The Life of Chuck.” The film will star Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Mark Hamill (Star Wars), and is said to “draw tonally” from other King-on-film adaptations like Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.
Leave it to Mike Flanagan – who’s responsible for two of the least-likely King adaptations of all time, Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep – to tackle this particular story. “The Life of Chuck” (from King’s If It Bleeds collection) is an odd tale, one that’s told backwards and across multiple time periods within the life of its titular character. If there’s anyone we’d trust to stick the landing on this one, it’s the guy who made Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep work onscreen.
FANGORIA readers will likely recall that, as of just a few months ago, Flanagan was developing a TV series based on King’s The Dark Tower novels. With the WGA strike in full swing, it seems that Flanagan is pausing efforts on that project and turning his attention to The Life of Chuck, which was written prior to the strike.
No word on when The Life of Chuck may go in front of cameras, but we anticipate that this one will get going sooner rather than later. Stay tuned for further updates on Flanagan’s latest as further updates roll in.
