One of the fun things about being a Mike Flanagan fan is seeing the way he casts his projects. Actors who sign on to a Flanagan movie or show regularly return for another – with standout names including Henry Thomas, Carla Gugino, Rahul Kohli, Bruce Greenwood and Kate Siegel (who is also the writer/director's wife) – and it's equally fascinating to see what new stars join his ever-expanding troupe.
The filmmaker has already added a dash of both to his new movie based on Stephen King's novella The Life Of Chuck, with The Fall Of The House Of Usher's Mark Hamill and Flanagan first-timer Tom Hiddleston on-board – and now we have news that more fresh and familiar faces have signed on to the developing feature.
According to Deadline, The Life Of Chuck has added three names to its growing cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, and Jacob Tremblay. The Stephen King adaptation will mark the first time that Ejiofor has worked with Mike Flanagan, but the other two have prior experience collaborating with him. Gillan previously starred in the outstanding 2014 film Oculus (Flanagan's breakout feature), and Tremblay is featured in both 2016's Before I Wake and 2019's Doctor Sleep (where he memorably plays the ill-fated Baseball Boy a.k.a. Bradley Trevor).
As noted, The Life Of Chuck is based on the novella of the same name, which is featured in the 2020 Stephen King collection If It Bleeds. It's a fascinating and surreal story that plays out in reverse, beginning with the titular Chuck's death and ending with his childhood. Unfortunately, the trade report does not mention who Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, and Jacob Tremblay will be playing in the film, which has started production this month in Mobile, Alabama. If all goes according to plan, it will hopefully extend Flanagan's streak of annually delivering a new movie or TV show (a streak that goes back to 2016), but a release date has not yet been announced.
The Life Of Chuck is Mike Flanagan's third King adaptation, as he previously made 2017's Gerald's Game in addition to the aforementioned Doctor Sleep (a film so phenomenal that it actually helped changed Stephen King's opinion of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining). Both movies are among the best Stephen King movies of all time, and there are high hopes that his latest will have a matching reputation.
In addition to The Life Of Chuck, Flanagan is also in the process of developing his dream project, which is an adaptation of what many consider to be Stephen King's magnum opus: The Dark Tower series. You can find more details about it as well as every other King film and show in the works in our Upcoming Stephen King Movies and TV guide.
