“Didn’t Stop Crying For Days”: Mike Flanagan’s New Stephen King Movie Gets Glowing Praise From Star

The Life Of Chuck star Karen Gillan gives her first reaction to the forthcoming movie. Written and directed by veteran filmmaker Mike Flanagan, the adaptation of Stephen King’s novella featured in If It Bleeds focuses on the different phases of Charles Krantz’s life, a man who is passing away due to a brain tumor. The adaptation stars Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill, Harvey Guillén, Karen Gillan, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Gillian revealed to Collider that she watched a “not-finished version” of the upcoming Life of Chuck and she couldn’t stop crying for days. The Scottish actor, who has previously worked with Flanagan on Oculus, also added that watching the movie gave her a cathartic experience, and the story was told imaginatively and beautifully. Read her full comment below:

You know what, it didn’t feel that different. I was going into it like, “OK, how has he changed? He’s done so many movies.” [It] felt the same! We were back in Alabama like we’d never left. If there was any difference, I suppose he just felt more… I mean, he was relaxed on the first one, but maybe he wasn’t, he was just pretending to be relaxed. But no, he was just the same Mike Flanagan, and brilliant and the movie is absolutely incredible. I saw a not-finished version of it, and literally didn’t stop crying for days. In a good way.

It’s a cathartic experience. It’s someone dealing with the end of their life, and it’s told in a very imaginative way, and it’s just beautiful. It’s a celebration of life, I suppose. I think we could all do with a bit of that.

What To Expect From The Life Of Chuck

Flanagan is no stranger to adapting Stephen King’s works. Flanagan has previously adapted Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, both being difficult stories to adapt. Gerald’s Game tackles complex subjects and primarily takes place in one location, while Doctor Sleep had to work as both an adaptation and a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

The upcoming movie is expected to be split into three acts and told in reverse chronological order. The novella begins with the world in Chuck’s mind falling apart near his death at age 39. It continues to explore his life as an adult before ending with his childhood as an orphan in a supposedly haunted house.

As of the time of writing, a release date for The Life Of Chuck is yet to be announced. However, with Gillan revealing that she’s seen a cut of the movie already, a release date will likely be coming sooner rather than later. The Life Of Chuck remains one of King’s most experimental stories to date, and it would be interesting to see how Flanagan adapts this story.