The first teaser for director Mike Flanagan’s upcoming movie The Life of Chuck hints at another fascinating Stephen King adaptation from the filmmaker. Flanagan made a name for himself helming successful adaptations of King horror stories like Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game, and now he’s trying his hand at something different. The Life of Chuck is described as a “life-affirming, genre-bending story” that explores the life of the titular character, Charles Krantz. The film is broken into three sections told in reverse order, each one depicting Chuck at a different age. One of them is anchored by Marvel star Tom Hiddleston.
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The Life of Chuck trailer doesn’t reveal much in the way of plot details; instead it aims to convey the project’s tone and atmosphere with its emotional score and imagery. Dialogue in the teaser implies that thematically, the story deals with Chuck figuring out how he fits into the universe. You can watch the trailer in the space above.
The Life of Chuck premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, winning the People’s Choice Award (which is typically a harbinger for a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars). However, the film was not theatrically released last year, so it was ineligible for the 97th Academy Awards. The Life of Chuck is currently scheduled to hit theaters this summer.
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Last year, Flanagan opened up about his experience collaborating closely with King on his Life of Chuck adaptation. In particular, he mentioned that King had “an enormous amount of approvals on things like casting and other details.” In addition to Hiddleston, the Life of Chuck ensemble includes the likes of Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, and Matthew Lillard. Benjamin Pajak and Jacob Tremblay portray Chuck during his childhood years.
By referencing titles like The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and Stand By Me in marketing, distributor Neon is making it very clear what kind of King adaptation this is. Rather than leaning into the horror elements King is so well-known for, The Life of Chuck is an emotional tale about the human experience. Fortunately, it seems like Flanagan was successful in bringing this King story to life. Reviews out of TIFF were largely positive, so this could emerge as some great counterprogramming during a summer movie season dominated by major studio tentpoles.
It’s too early to tell how The Life of Chuck could fare on the awards circuit this year. Neon is the same studio behind this year’s Best Picture winner Anora, so it will likely put together some kind of campaign for The Life of Chuck. While the film wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum from its big win at TIFF, it was still well-received and might be able to garner some support as it re-enters the conversation later this year. Even if The Life of Chuck doesn’t secure a Best Picture nomination, it could earn nods in other categories like Best Adapted Screenplay or even Best Supporting Actor (Mark Hamill had some buzz after TIFF last year).
