How Mike Flanagan’s next Stephen King adaptation will differ from his past movies

As he prepares to return to the world of the iconic horror author, Mike Flanagan explains how The life of Chuck will be different from his previous Stephen King adaptations. Based on King’s novella of the same name If it bleeds Collectively, the story is a unique drama that explores the lives of the titular characters in reverse chronological order. Tom Hiddleston leads the ensemble Life of Chuck Cast in the title role, alongside frequent Flanagan collaborators Kate Siegel, Mark Hamill, Karen Gillan, James Tremblay, Rahul Kohli, Heather Langenkamp and many others.

During his Echoes from Hill House: A Haunting Panel at FAN EXPO Canada, why Screen Rant was a media partner, Screen RantJoe Deckelmeier spoke with Flanagan about the upcoming Life of Chuck Movie. In asking about what viewers can expect from the project, The writer/director explained how this would be different from his previous King adaptationsNote that it is “Not a horror story“, but instead is related to some of the author’s more dramatic works, and also praised as “My favorite movie I’ve ever worked on by a mile“. See what Flanagan shared below:

Mike Flanagan: What I can tell you about Chuck’s life is that it’s not a horror story. And that’s the biggest thing I want people to know. But it is not. It’s the side of Stephen King who wrote Stand By Me and Shawshank Redemption. It’s Steve, and it’s a completely different world for me to be in. It’s my favorite movie I’ve ever worked on by a mile. The cast is extraordinary, as you said, and I’m so proud of this one.

What happens to him, because he is such a strange, weak little animal. I want you guys to enjoy it, but I think [you should] Just check your expectations at the door if you’re expecting scary because you’ll be very disappointed. But if you expect something that is a life-affirming celebration of joy and existence and mortality, you will be very happy. Two weeks from today we have to fly home to LA, and I don’t know if we will pack because we have to fly back straight away. I will still be in it [outfit] the whole time.

Flanagan’s note of wanting to draw from the likes of Stand by me And The Shawshank Redemption are a promising sign for his approach to The life of Chuck Given their similar tonal sensibility. As Flanagan notes, The novella has some supernatural elementsIncluding Chuck being able to see his future death from a brain tumor in his grandparents’ home, or the subtle reminders of a dystopian world around him. That said, King still generally kept the focus of the story on Chuck building relationships with certain people in his life.

As the author, The life of Chuck will serve as a rare genre shift for Flanagan after making a name for himself in the horror sphere, namely for the Haunting Anthology and The Fall of the House of Usher On Netflix. But it will not be the first time to adapt King’s work After previously adopting both Play Gerald’s game And Doctor Sleep In film form. Flanagan is currently developing a TV adaptation of King’s The Dark Tower franchise, but while he has a first-look deal with Amazon Studios, it’s unclear who will actually distribute the show.

In search of Stand by me And The Shawshank Redemption For inspiration, Flanagan’s transition to the austere dramatic for The life of Chuck Can very well establish the range he has for storytelling. Given the 1986 movie was nominated for both an Oscar and two Golden Globes, and 1994s Shawshank Redemption Landed a record seven Oscar nominationsThe most for any King adaptation, and two Golden Globe nods, Flanagan’s desire to match the heights of their emotional character stories is an exciting sign that he will continue his winning streak.