Last spring, Deadline broke the news that Mark Hamill and Tom Hiddleston are set to co-star in a new film directed by Mike Flanagan, adapted from Stephen King’s novella “The Life of Chuck.”
“The Life of Chuck,” one of the novellas in King’s 2020 collection If It Bleeds, tells the story of Charles Krantz, who grows up in a haunted house with his grandfather Albie before dying of cancer at age 39. The story explores philosophical questions ranging from the multiplicity of the human mind to the end of civilization.
Now that production has started in Alabama, The Life of Chuck is starting to come together. Here’s what we know!
The Life of Chuck plot: what is The Life of Chuck about?
While we don’t know how much the movie will stray from the novella, there are some key elements that are likely to be included. Skip this section if you’re avoiding potential spoilers.
The original story, which is told backwards in three acts, begins with a man named Marty, who’s living through the end of human civilization. Marty sees a man named Chuck everywhere as the world around him collapses into nothing. Meanwhile, the real Chuck dies of a brain tumor at age 39.
In the second act of the story, Chuck is walking down the street when he passes a busker playing music. He indulges in his love of dancing, and starts to dance with a woman on the street.
The third act of the novella shows Chuck as a child, living with his grandparents. There’s a haunted room in the house, where the family can see ghosts, and when Chuck enters it, he sees himself dying in a hospital bed.
Mike Flanagan is known mainly for his work directing the horror projects The Fall of the House of Usher and The Haunting of Hill House. However, despite Stephen King’s reputation as a horror writer, The Life of Chuck may have less of an overt horror vibe than fans expect. The original novella has more of a surrealist feel to it, and Deadline reports that The Life of Chuck will have a similar tone to the Stephen King film adaptations Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.
The Life of Chuck cast: who’s in The Life of Chuck?
Tom Hiddleston (Loki) will play Charles, while Mark Hamill (Star Wars) will play Charles’ grandfather Albie.
In addition to Hiddleston and Hamill, Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy) just wrapped filming on a currently-undisclosed role. The film boasts a star-studded cast, including Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows), Jacob Tremblay (The Little Mermaid), David Dastmalchian (Oppenheimer) and Matthew Lillard (Five Nights at Freddy’s). Other cast members include Kate Siegel, Mia Sara, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Q’Orianka Kilcher, Benjamin Pajak, Antonio Raul Corbo, Carl Lumbly, Annalise Basso, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kholi, Matt Biedel, Sauriyan Sapkota, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Michael Trucco, Violet McGraw, Molly C. Quinn, Heather Langenkamp and Taylor Gordon.
The Life of Chuck release date: when does The Life of Chuck come out?
With filming currently underway (partly thanks to a SAG waiver, since production started while the strike was still going on), a release date in 2024 or 2025 seems likely. Stay tuned!
(featured image: Apple TV+ / Lucasfilm)
