With a filmography that features Gerald’s Recreation and Physician Sleep, author/director Mike Flanagan has confirmed himself an adept expertise on the subject of making motion pictures primarily based on the works of Stephen King, and it’s a expertise he comes by actually: he has a deep love for the creator’s work, and he expresses his ardour through adaptation. He proudly identifies as a Fixed Reader, and he possesses an intensive data about each King’s books and the films and TV exhibits produced from them. Due to this, 2025 is a fairly wonderful 12 months for Flanagan, as not solely is his newest movie, The Life Of Chuck, arriving in theaters, however he’s in “breathless anticipation” for the entire different King tasks which might be on the best way as effectively.
In final Thursday’s version of The King Beat, I promised one thing particular for this week’s column, and right here I’m delivering it with a lead story from my current interview with Mike Flanagan. With The Life Of Chuck taking part in in restricted launch beginning this Friday, June 6, that is set to be a standout week in Stephen King historical past, so let’s dig in!
Mike Flanagan Is Thrilled With The Stephen King Renaissance Of 2025, And He Is Simply As Curious As Any King Fan About The Lengthy Stroll
It’s uncommon for a 12 months to go by with out the discharge of no less than one new movie or tv adaptation of a Stephen King story, however what’s taking place in 2025 is downright unprecedented. Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey delighted audiences with its gory insanity when it debuted on the massive display again in February, and the soulful The Life Of Chuck is now simply hours away from public screenings, however there are nonetheless a complete of 4 extra theatrical motion pictures and exhibits set to reach between this week and the tip of December – and Mike Flanagan is stoked for all of them.
Flanagan has what may very well be referred to as a vested within the success of Stephen King variations given that he’s actively growing exhibits primarily based on Carrie and The Darkish Tower collection, however he appeared to don’t have anything however real fascination about the whole lot that’s coming to theaters and TV/streaming companies within the coming months after I talked to him in the course of the Los Angeles press day for The Life Of Chuck final Friday (which noticed the author/director paired for interviews with star Tom Hiddleston). I requested for his outlook on the entire upcoming King motion pictures and TV in 2025, and whereas he’s enthusiastic for the whole lot, there’s one specific title that has garnered further curiosity. Stated Flanagan,
Oh, I imply, I am utterly tapped in as a fan. I am in breathless anticipation of all of them, however I have been that manner since I used to be since I used to be a child. I am notably taken with seeing how the hell they pull off The Lengthy Stroll as a result of how the hell are you gonna try this? However I imply, our pal Mark Hamill is in it, so I am very excited. I’d’ve been regardless.
“How the hell are you gonna try this?” is a query that each Stephen King fan has been asking about The Lengthy Stroll adaptation, and we are actually simply months away from lastly getting a solution. The film is directed by Francis Lawrence and is predicated on a screenplay by JT Moller – who has promised that the film doesn’t pull any punches or draw back from the brutality of the guide. That’s a key promise as a result of the supply materials is as hardcore as something that King has ever had revealed (which is clearly saying quite a bit given the person’s legacy within the horror style).
As acknowledged by Flanagan, The Life Of Chuck and The Lengthy Stroll share a bond in that each motion pictures embrace Mark Hamill of their supporting casts… however his characters and the tones of the 2 movies really couldn’t be extra totally different. Within the former, Hamill performs Albie Krantz: the gruff however lovable grandfather of the titular Chuck who evokes in him a love of arithmetic. Within the latter, Hamill performs The Main: the orchestrator of the titular competitors, which sees a group of teenage boys take part in what is basically a demise march with a prize supplied to the final child standing.
The Lengthy Stroll would be the Stephen King adaptation that follows The Life Of Chuck on the 2025 film launch calendar, as Lionsgate will likely be placing the movie in cinemas on September 12, however after that comes a fall season chock filled with goodies. Edgar Wright’s The Operating Man is poised to reach as a late-in-the-year blockbuster (scheduled for November 7), and the small display will see the premiers of IT: Welcome To Derry on HBO/HBO Max and The Institute on MGM+.
That’s a variety of Stephen King – and it comes alongside the discharge of King’s new novel By no means Flinch and the creator’s tackle Hansel & Gretel (set to be revealed this fall), however there’s an excessive range in the entire materials that ought to stop any emotions of saturation. It’s truly astounding simply how little overlap exists within the tones, characters, and tales of the whole lot we’re seeing in movie, tv and literature, and it speaks to the depth and scope of King’s expertise.
Mike Flanagan has been a key contributor to the on-going Stephen King renaissance that has been taking part in out in Hollywood since 2017 (most memorable because the 12 months that noticed the arrival of each Gerald’s Recreation and IT: Chapter One), however he has additionally been in a position to distance himself from all of it and consider it as a fan. He has been as pleased as anybody to see the creator’s tales getting recognition, saying,
I feel each couple of years I hear in regards to the Stephen King renaissance that we’re in, which I feel simply speaks to the unbelievable quantity of his work and to the fixed urge for food to translate it from the web page to the display, and as a Fixed Reader, I am thrilled, completely thrilled, to stay in Stephen King’s world.
With an excellent ensemble forged together with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay, and the aforementioned Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill, The Life Of Chuck arrives in restricted launch on Friday earlier than increasing on June 13 – however there aren’t any pauses in Mike Flanagan’s contributions to the Hollywood legacy of Stephen King. He stays dedicated to creating a completely devoted adaptation of The Darkish Tower (a large endeavor that’s going to spend a number of years in growth), and he’s presently laborious at work making the brand new Carrie collection for Prime Video (which simply crammed out its forged this week to incorporate Samantha Sloyan and Amber Midthunder).
The Life Of Chuck Has Launched A Particular Gifting Program That Will Enable Followers To Unfold The Love Of The Movie With Mates And Household
I wish to discuss with Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption because the antidote to cynicism – and Mike Flanagan’s The Life Of Chuck is a movie that very a lot matches it in that common vibe. Whereas the beloved jail film starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman is about discovering hope in what appears to be a hopeless world, the 2025 film is a deep investigation of humanity’s excessive complexity and emphasizes pleasure in an all-too-fleeting existence. In darkish occasions, the Stephen King adaptation has a beautiful message that must be shared, and Neon has partnered with Fandango and AMC Theatres in a particular solution to facilitate.
Late final week, it was introduced that the distributor behind The Life Of Chuck has labored with two of the largest corporations in exhibition to create what has been dubbed a “gifting initiative.” It’s actually easy too. Per a press launch:
Prospects who buy tickets for The Lifetime of Chuck immediately from Fandango and AMC will obtain a direct hyperlink after their showtime to reward the movie to their family and friends, inviting them to expertise the enjoyment of the movie.
The Life Of Chuck premiered final fall on the Toronto Worldwide Movie Competition, and it not solely earned widespread essential acclaim, however it received the competitors’s coveted Individuals’s Selection Award. It’s a panoramic expertise, and following Gerald’s Recreation and Physician Sleep, it’s Mike Flanagan’s third contribution to the checklist of the best Stephen King motion pictures of all time. If it’s not taking part in at a theater close to you this weekend, be sure you do your self a favor and search for it at your native cinema when it ups its theater rely.
That wraps up this week’s version of The King Beat, however should you’ve taken away something from what I’ve written right here, I hope it’s that there are at all times new developments and issues taking place on the earth of Stephen King – and I’ll be again right here on CinemaBlend subsequent Thursday with a brand new characteristic to chronicle the largest headlines from the approaching seven days. Within the meantime, you’ll be able to discover the expansive historical past of King on display through my collection Adapting Stephen King.