The Life Of Chuck Cast, Director, Writers, And More Details
Mike Flanagan hasn't made a movie since 2019's "Doctor Sleep." Indeed, the revered horror filmmaker has spent the intervening years writing, directing, and producing four Netflix original miniseries: "The Haunting of Bly Manor," "Midnight Mass," "The Midnight Club," and "The Fall of the House of Usher." Flanagan worked so consistently in the TV medium for so long, in fact, that it briefly began to seem as though he had left feature filmmaking behind altogether.
In late 2022, though, Flanagan made a jump from Netflix to Amazon — signaling a change in direction for the prolific writer-director. A few months after he did so, it was revealed that Flanagan had begun work on a new film. The movie, titled "The Life of Chuck," boasts an intriguing premise and a stacked, star-studded cast. In case that wasn't enough, the film also sees Flanagan adapting a story penned by an author whose work he's already dealt with several times throughout his career. It will not, however, be a horror movie, which means it'll be the first film Flanagan has made that doesn't exist in the same genre space where he made his name.
Here's everything we know right now about "The Life of Chuck," including its plot, cast, and several key members of its creative team.
When will The Life of Chuck be released?
"The Life of Chuck" does not yet have an official release date. Based on what has been revealed about the project, though, it seems likely that it'll be released sometime in 2024. On X (formerly known as Twitter), Mike Flanagan revealed that the film had finished filming in mid-November 2023.
It's been several months since then. No updates have been released about the film, but given Flanagan's experience overseeing the production and annual releases of four Netflix miniseries (i.e., "The Haunting of Bly Manor," "Midnight Mass," "The Midnight Club," and "The Fall of the House of Usher") across four consecutive years, it seems more likely than not that "The Life of Chuck" will be ready to be released in 2024. That said, the film is the director's first independently financed project in years, so it could end up taking longer to finalize its distribution plan than Flanagan's fans hope.
For now, stay tuned to Looper as more updates about the film's release window roll in.
What is the plot of The Life of Chuck?
"The Life of Chuck" will tell the fictional life story of its eponymous lead, Charles "Chuck" Krantz. Comprised of three different stories from Chuck's life, the film will begin with the character's death and end with his childhood, which he spent growing up in a supposedly haunted house. Despite what that latter detail may suggest, it has already been confirmed several times that "The Life of Chuck" will not be a horror movie in the same vein as "Doctor Sleep," "Hush," "Ouija: Origin of Evil," or any of Flanagan's other past films.
The filmmaker himself revealed as much on Twitter in November 2023. His wife and frequent collaborator, Kate Siegel, echoed his comment a month later in an interview with Collider, telling the outlet, "It's amazing. It's beautiful. It is not a horror movie."
Deadline has reported that the film will exist in a similar tonal space as beloved dramas like "Stand By Me," "The Shawshank Redemption," and "The Green Mile." Siegel, additionally, opened up to Collider about the film's life-affirming themes, teasing, "I think 'Chuck' will make life more bearable for people."
In "The Haunting of Bly Manor," "The Midnight Club," and "Midnight Mass," Flanagan goes out of his way to juxtapose the most horrifying aspects of everyday life with the most joyous. Now, it sounds like "The Life of Chuck" may be the filmmaker's most earnest and wholehearted attempt to date to highlight the beauty of life.
Who is starring in The Life of Chuck?
"Loki" and "Crimson Peak" star Tom Hiddleston will lead the cast of "The Life of Chuck" as its titular protagonist. He will star in the film opposite "Star Wars" actor Mark Hamill, who is set to play a major role in the drama as a character named Albie. Hamill's involvement in "The Life of Chuck" makes it a reunion piece for him and Flanagan, following their collaboration together on "The Fall of the House of Usher." Hamill, notably, isn't the only one of Flanagan's past collaborators who is set to appear in "The Life of Chuck."
On the contrary, established Flanaverse stars Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay, Kate Siegel, Carl Lumbly, Annalise Basso, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Matt Biedel, Sauriyan Sapkota, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Michael Trucco, Violet McGraw, Molly C. Quinn, and Heather Langenkamp have all been cast in the film as well. They're joined in the already packed ensemble by a number of actors who have never worked with Flanagan before, including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mia Sara, Benjamin Pajak, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Matthew Lillard, Q'orianka Kilcher, Harvey Guillén, and David Dastmalchian.
Flanagan has, of course, spent the past 10 years slowly building a stable of actors who have become recurring figures in his filmography. However, even by his standards, "The Life of Chuck" is shaping up to be Flanagan's most star-studded project to date. Now, with several first-time collaborators all starring in the film, it seems like the Flanaverse's existing stable is only going to continue to grow moving forward.
Who is directing The Life of Chuck?
"The Life of Chuck" will be director Mike Flanagan's eighth feature film. As was previously mentioned, the director took a four-year break from feature filmmaking to focus on his string of Netflix original shows, all of which received enough positive reviews and attention to only further boost his profile among both horror fans and casual viewers alike.
While "The Life of Chuck" is set to be Flanagan's first non-horror film, directing it seemingly still felt like a full-circle moment for the filmmaker. Indeed, when he announced on X that the movie had finished filming in November 2023, Flanagan wrote, "It's been a long time since I made something truly independent & it fed my soul to be back in the indie world where I started." In an earlier tweet, the director also confessed, "This film is deeply special to me, and I'm elated that it's going to exist in the world."
In addition to directing "The Life of Chuck," Flanagan is set to edit it as well, as he has every one of his past films.
Who is writing and producing The Life of Chuck?
Mike Flanagan's work on "The Life of Chuck" isn't just limited to his contributions as its director and editor. The forthcoming drama will also be based on a screenplay penned by Flanagan himself. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise to those familiar with the filmmaker's past work. After all, he has worked on the screenplays for all of his previous movies. That said, unlike "Oculus," "Hush," "Before I Wake," "Ouija: Origin of Evil," and "Gerald's Game," all of which Flanagan co-wrote, he's currently the sole credited screenwriter of "The Life of Chuck."
The writer-director is set to produce the film alongside his longtime producing partner, Trevor Macy. The Intrepid Pictures CEO has produced every movie and TV show that Flanagan has made since 2013's "Oculus." Their next film really is, in other words, shaping up to be yet another product of the bonds that Flanagan has been forging for over 10 years now.
Is The Life of Chuck based on a book?
"The Life of Chuck" is based on a story of the same name featured in author Stephen King's 2020 novella collection, "If It Bleeds." Much like how the film it's inspired will, the novella explores the life of its titular character in reverse chronological order via a trio of stories set during three different periods. "The Life of Chuck" is, notably, the second film inspired by "If It Bleeds." In 2022, a movie based on another one of the collection's stories, "Mr. Harrigan's Phone," was released.
For his part, Flanagan is no stranger to adapting King's work. "Doctor Sleep" and "Gerald's Game" were both based on King-penned novels, and it's only fitting that the filmmaker's first movie since the former has turned out to be another King adaptation. "The Life of Chuck" isn't the only King-created property that Flanagan is currently working on, either.
The writer-director is also in the midst of actively developing a TV series adaptation of King's "Dark Tower" novels as part of his new partnership with Amazon Studios. The potential TV show's future remains unclear for the time being, but it's nonetheless worth noting that "The Life of Chuck" could very well end up being just one of several high-profile King adaptations that Flanagan makes in the coming years.
Fortunately, fans likely won't have to wait as long to see "The Life of Chuck" as they will for Flanagan's in-development "Dark Tower" TV series.