Mike Flanagan’s next horror movie is taking him back to the universe of Stephen King, and it’s already repeating part of the formula that made his previous Stephen King movies so successful. Mike Flanagan has earned a spot among the masters of horror with movies like Oculus and Hush and TV series like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass. Flanagan has also become one of few directors who have successfully brought Stephen King’s novels to life, and he’s adding one more to his list with his latest project, The Life of Chuck.
Based on King’s short story of the same name from the If It Bleeds novella, The Life of Chuck is divided into three acts in reverse chronological order. These tell the story of Chuck Krantz (Tom Hiddleston), from his childhood as he was raised by his grandparents after becoming an orphan to his death of a brain tumor at the age of 39. Although The Life of Chuck doesn’t have a projected release date yet, Flanagan has already announced the full cast for this new project, and he’s bringing back actors from his past King movies, which will surely be key to the success of this new movie.
The Life Of Chuck Reusing Doctor Sleep Actors Makes New Stephen King Movie More Exciting
Mike Flanagan’s first journey into Stephen King’s universe happened in 2017 with Gerald’s Game, based on the novel of the same name. Gerald’s Game was a critical success, and two years later, Flanagan returned with another King movie: Doctor Sleep. Both an adaptation of King’s novel of the same name and a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, Doctor Sleep was a critical success though not a commercial hit, yet it was key in establishing Flanagan as a horror director to look out for. Part of the success of Flanagan’s King movies was their casts, which have some of his frequent collaborators.
The Life of Chuck has cast veteran Stephen King actors who have previously worked with Flanagan as well, such as Carl Lumbly (Dick Hallorann in Doctor Sleep), Violet McGraw (Violet in Doctor Sleep), Jacob Tremblay (Bradley Trevor in Doctor Sleep), and Kate Siegel (Sally in Gerald’s Game). Another King actor returning to this universe in The Life of Chuck, but who didn’t work in Flanagan’s past King movies, is David Dastmalchian, who played Lester Billings in The Boogeyman. All these actors know and understand how to approach the themes in King’s movies and have delivered great performances in past adaptations, making the chances of The Life of Chuck to succeed grow larger.
The Life Of Chuck’s Cast Is Still Missing Some Crucial Mike Flanagan/Stephen King Actors
The cast of The Life of Chuck features various frequent collaborators of Mike Flanagan, which makes the excitement around it grow even more, but it’s still missing some key actors from Flanagan’s King movies. The most notable absentee is Henry Thomas, who appeared in both Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, the prequel Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (directed by Lindsey Anderson Beer), and every TV series by Mike Flanagan. Another actor missing is Bruce Greenwood, who played Gerald Burlingame in Gerald’s Game and Dr. John Dalton in Doctor Sleep. It’s still possible that Henry Thomas and Bruce Greenwood could join the cast of The Life of Chuck, further adding to its potential success.
