Summary
Mike Flanagan is a huge fan ofStephen Kingand now one of his adaptations of the author’s brilliant and fascinating stories has a release date. According toBloody Disgusting,NEON will releaseTheLife of ChuckonMay 30, 2025.
The Life of Chuckis based on King’s novella, which was published in 2020’s collectionIf It Bleeds.The moviestars Tom Hiddleston as the main character Chuck Krantz. Jacob Tremblay plays a younger version of him. The star-studded cast also includesSamantha Sloyan, Heather Langenkamp, Mark Hamill, Hamish Linklater, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Nick Offerman. The cast includes many staples of the horror genre, such as Langenkamp, who is known for playingfinal girl Nancy Thompsonin Wes Craven’s iconicA Nightmare on Elm Street. Sloyan and Linklater also appeared inFlanagan’s acclaimed Netflix horror seriesMidnight Mass.
The Life of Chuckswitches up a typical movie structure. Instead of telling a chronological tale, audiences see Chuck at the end of his life as he is dying from a brain tumor, and then at the end, he is a child again. Flanagan toldThe Wrapthat the story is “about the moments that bring joy into our lives” and “the importance of being open to those moments.”
The filmmaker also praised Kingand said:
“The thing about Stephen King is that he’s known for horror, but his horror only works because of his incredible empathy for his characters. And when you read a great Stephen King story, it’s not about the monster, it’s about the people who have to deal with it or stand against it
Lillard, who plays Gus, toldGamesRadar+that audiences laughed duringThe Life of Chuck’s screening at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, which was unexpected for the cast and crew. He shared thatwhile Gus has a short scene, it’s moving and meaningful. He said Gus “packs a whole fistful of humanity in a little 5-minute scene,” which is a great description. Since Lillard is known for playing goofy characters in horror movies, such asStu Macher inScream, it’s nice to see him play a more serious character who deals with some heavy emotions. He has portrayed some dramatic characters before, most notably Brian Speer inThe Descendants.
Flanagan is alsoadapting King’s novelCarriefor TV, although there is no details about that just yet. Fans are also excited aboutFlanagan developing TheDark Towerand havethought about the best casting choices. Since Flanagan loves King’s work and appreciates his well-crafted characters who are put in unthinkable and wild situations, fans know that these creepy and smart stories are in good hands. It will be great to see Flanagan’sThe Life of Chuckin May 2025.
