Earlier this year, it was announced that Mike Flanagan – who has previously been at the helm of the Stephen King adaptations Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep (and is also developing a series adaptation of The Dark Tower for Amazon Studios) – would be directing another King adaptation, The Life of Chuck. When the announcement was made, Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Mark Hamill (Star Wars) were already on board to play the characters of Chuck and Albie, respectively… and they remain on board now that the project has secured a SAG interim agreement that will allow it to go into production during the ongoing SAG strike. An article posted on Gulf Coast Media reveals that The Life of Chuck will begin filming in Alabama on October 16th, with a production schedule of four weeks.
A booking agency is currently looking for the 1000 extras, in a range of ages from 11 years old and up, that will be required for the project. Most of the extras are needed for two large crowd scenes that will be filmed in Baldwin County. Click over to the Gulf Coast Media link for details on how fans can try to fill one of the available extra spots.
Based on the short story from King’s 2020 anthology If It Bleeds, The Life of Chuck consists of three separate stories linked to tell the biography of Charles Krantz in reverse, beginning with his death from a brain tumor and ending with his childhood in a supposedly haunted house.
The adaptation is expected to be similar in tone to the likes of Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redeption, and The Green Mile. Flanagan has written the screenplay and is also producing the film through his company Intrepid Pictures.
A few years ago, we heard that Darren Aronofsky would be producing The Life of Chuck through his company Protozoa, but he doesn’t appear to be involved with the project at this point.
Have you read The Life of Chuck? What do you think of Mike Flanagan directing an adaptation with Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill in the cast? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.