I don’t think I’ll need to look too far to find fellow film fans who are flustered that the lineup of remaining 2024 movies will not feature the next film from writer/director Mike Flanagan. What we know about the film, The Life of Chuck, is that after Toronto International Film Festival, indie distributor Neon plans to release it next summer. Unfortunately, frequent Flanagan collaborator Henry Thomas will not be among the cast of the Tom Hiddleston-led ensemble either. But that certainly didn’t stop Thomas from hyping up Flanagan's Stephen King adaptation when he spoke with CinemaBlend
I was able to speak to Mr. Thomas during the press day for his most recent picture, The Curse of the Necklace. During that conversation, the actor shared the following feelings of joy with CinemaBlend, as well as one specific hope for the future of Mr. Flanagan’s career:
You know, unfortunately, I can't claim any of the success as my own, because I'm not a part of that at all. The last project I did with Mike was The Fall of the House of Usher, and so no, you won't see me in The Life of Chuck. But I'm very excited that they won the audience award at [the Toronto International Film Festival.] I think that's great, and I think it's great for Mike because The Life of Chuck isn't necessarily a horror film, and I really wanna see Mike kind of do other genres, because I think he's a very interesting filmmaker, not just in one field.
Henry Thomas, CinemaBlend
Mike Flanagan and Henry Thomas have been working together since 2016’s Ouija: Origin of Evil, with projects like Doctor Sleep and The Midnight Club keeping the streak going alongside The Fall of the House of Usher. So, when reading into advanced hype, including our Eric Eisenberg's The Life of Chuck reaction from TIFF, I (and possibly many others) wondered if Mr. Thomas might have a role to play in the film.
It’s a bit of a bummer that the streak has been broken, as watching the working relationship between Mike Flanagan and Henry Thomas blossom throughout their shared projects has been terrific to observe. I still remember being blown away by Thomas’ surprise Doctor Sleep cameo, which I won’t ruin here as that underrated Stephen King adaptation is as essential to any good Halloween watch list as its predecessor, The Shining.
That being said, it’s comforting to know that this isn’t one of those unfortunate circumstances where both parties had a falling-out, leading to a professional split. I really want the Haunting of Hill House creator's contributions to upcoming Stephen King projects to include some sort of miracle resurgence of his unrealized Revival adaptation. However, I have to agree with the beloved E.T. actor's wishes above.
Walking the line between situations of heartbreak and horror is a specialty that the Oculus helmer loves to partake in. After Mr. Thomas mentioned those skills yet again, I’m hoping that The Life of Chuck becomes Mike Flanagan’s equivalent to another all-time Stephen King classic.
Much as writer/director Frank Darabont saw his career as a horror practitioner evolve through his work on The Shawshank Redemption, Mr. Flanagan’s pivot into such a project feels close at hand. And that’s yet another reason why Henry Thomas, myself and plenty of Flanagan fans are awaiting Chuck with great anticipation.
We don’t know when exactly that project will debut, but it's comforting to know that it’ll be an entry on the upcoming 2025 movies. In the meantime, Henry Thomas fans can currently catch his latest horror entry, The Curse of the Necklace, in theaters and on demand.
And, for those of you who want to stay in the know with Maine’s own master of horror, check out Eric Eisenberg’s column The King Beat, as that’s a prime gateway to all things that serve The Beam. Last, but certainly not least, is my latest reminder that if you haven't watched Doctor Sleep, you can do so with the power of a Prime Video subscription. And why wouldn't you?
