Horror film and television guru Mike Flanagan is adapting the work of the master author of terror Stephen King for a third feature film, this time with an adaptation of the short story, The Life of Chuck. Taking place over the course of three chapters in Stephen King’s anthology novel, If It Bleeds, The Life of Chuck consistently plays around with genre to tell the unusual story of a seemingly ordinary man. It doesn’t sound too scary, but given that King and Flanagan are involved, you can bet that there will be some horror elements sprinkled throughout.

Mike Flanagan made a strong first impression on the horror scene with the fan-favorite entries Oculus and Hush. A few great other horror movies later (including a surprisingly great sequel to an otherwise mediocre film with Ouija: Origin of Evil), and it didn’t take long for Flanagan to start directing works based on the stories of Stephen King. These include the uncomfortable, claustrophobic drama of Gerald’s Game and the surprisingly heartwarming The Shining sequel, Doctor Sleep. That doesn’t even account for the smash hit Netflix shows Flanagan created, such as The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and most recently, The Fall of the House of Usher.

Success like that is bound to get the attention of some big stars. If the astounding cast of The Life of Chuck is any indication, that is correct, as the list of actors attached to star in Flanagan and King’s latest is star-studded, to say the least. To learn more about this existential adaptation, and its cast, crew, plot, and more, here is everything we know so far about The Life of Chuck.

Does ‘The Life of Chuck’ Have a Release Date?

With the pre-production phase still underway and a star-studded cast set, The Life of Chuck is still in the early stages of development, and no release date is currently set. Now that the 118-day SAG-AFTRA Strike has finally concluded, production will likely be getting underway relatively soon.

It’s currently unknown if The Life of Chuck will be debuting in movie theaters or if it will head straight to streaming as Mike Flanagan has experience releasing films through both means. That is present especially in Flanagan’s Steven King adaptations, with Gerald’s Game releasing exclusively on Netflix and Doctor Sleep premiering in theaters. In addition to Gerald’s Game, Flanagan has enjoyed a close working relationship with Netflix with his many exclusive shows on the platform. Should The Life of Chuck‘s distributor FilmNation decide to explore that, then Netflix could be a possible streaming home for the film instead of, during, or after a theatrical release.

Does ‘The Life of Chuck’ Have a Trailer?

At the time of this writing, The Life of Chuck is still in the very early stages of pre-production and likely won’t get a trailer until filming is completed.

Who’s In the Cast of ‘The Life of Chuck’?

Leading the incredible cast of The Life of Chuck as the titular character is Loki star Tom Hiddleston. Though he’s arguably best known for portraying the anti-hero God of Mischief in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hiddleston is a remarkably diverse actor with plenty of other reputable performances in films like I Saw the Light, High-Rise, and Crimson Peak. The Life of Chuck will be Hiddleston’s first non-MCU feature film since Aardman’s Early Man. Hiddleston will also be joined by Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, who also recently collaborated with Mike Flanagan on The Fall of the House of Usher.

That’s only scratching the surface of the star power involved with The Life of Chuck. Other big stars attached to the project are Guardians of the Galaxy star Karen Gillan, Room breakout Jacob Tremblay, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off icon Mia Sara, prolific character actor and The Suicide Squad star David Dastmalchian, and FX’s What We Do in the Shadows lead Harvey Guillén. Also attached are several legendary actors from the horror genre, such as A Nightmare on Elm Street scream queen Heather Langenkamp as well as Scream and Five Nights at Freddy’s scream king Matthew Lillard.

We’re still not done, as most of the remaining cast includes regulars of Mike Flanagan’s filmography, especially returning stars from The Fall of the House of Usher. The list of Mike Flanagan collaborators returning for The Life of Chuck includes Kate Siegel (Hush), Samantha Sloyan (Midnight Mass), Rahul Kohli (iZombie), Molly C. Quinn (Castle), Matt Biedel (Narcos: Mexico), Sauriyan Sapkota (The Midnight Club), Violet McGraw (The Haunting of Hill House), and Annalise Basso (Ouija: Origin of Evil).

What Is ‘The Life of Chuck’ About?

Remember when the official synopsis for the Oscar-winning multiverse epic Everything Everywhere All at Once said it was just a movie about a woman doing taxes? Well, that’s kind of how the plot of The Life of Chuck is being portrayed, with the synopsis essentially saying it’s about an aspiring dancer’s ordinary life. We’re pretty sure it’s not all that ordinary, especially considering Mike Flanagan and Steven King are involved. Here’s the plot synopsis of the novella the movie is based on, as described on Stephen King’s website:

The Life of Chuck is three separate stories linked to tell the biography of Charles Krantz in reverse, beginning with his death from a brain tumour at 39 and ending with his childhood in a supposedly haunted house.

Who’s Making ‘The Life of Chuck’?

As mentioned several times already, Mike Flanagan will be leading the charge for The Life of Chuck as director, writer, and producer. This makes The Life of Chuck Flanagan’s first directorial feature film since 2019’s Doctor Sleep, with The Haunting of Hill House creator focusing on his television content in recent years with The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and The Fall of the House of Usher. The upcoming film is also, of course, based on the short story from Steven King’s anthology novel, If It Bleeds. The Life of Chuck is also being produced by Elan Gale (FBoy Island), D. Scott Lumpkin (Doctor Sleep), Trevor Macy (Ouija: Origin of Evil), Melinda Nishioka (The Fall of the House of Usher), Matthew M. Welty (Lovely, Dark, and Deep), and film star Molly C. Quinn (Diary of a Spy). Also a part of the crew are cinematographer Eben Bolter (The Last of Us) and costume designer Terry Anderson (The Fall of the House of Usher).

Where Can You Watch Mike Flanagan’s Previous Feature Films?

A stellar prequel to an otherwise so-so horror film, Ouija: Origin of Evil is a phenomenal ghost story. Set in the backdrop of 1967 Los Angeles, Ouija: Origin of Evil sees a naive family utilize the power of an infamous Ouija board. The results, as expected, bring plenty of ghostly horror to their humble life. Ouija: Origin of Evil is available to stream on Netflix.

Watch on Netflix

Gerald’s Game is Flanagan’s first Netflix original and his first Steven King adaptation. In a seemingly romantic vacation gone wrong, wife and husband Jessie (Carla Gugino) and Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) rent an isolated cabin to spend time with each other. Things get kinky when the two decide to have some fun by handcuffing Jessie to the bed, but tragedy strikes when Gerald suffers a heart attack and dies, leaving Jessie trapped and in need of a way out. Gerald’s Game is available to stream on Netflix.

Watch on Netflix

Making a sequel to The Shining is no easy task, yet Mike Flanagan somehow found a way to make it work in Doctor Sleep. Taking place almost forty years after the original, a now grown-up Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) is using his unique power of “The Shine” to comfort elderly people about to pass away. This surprisingly sweet outcome for a character with so much childhood trauma gets upended when a group of cannibalistic Shine-users begin targeting a young, innocent girl. Doctor Sleep is available to stream on Max.

Watch on Max