Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of the Stephen King life-affirming story is gaining a lot of acclaim and Neon is closing the deal to distribute the film for next year.
Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck is earning high praise and building hype after the film won the People’s Choice Award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Our own Chris Bumbray even listed it as one of the 10 favorite films of his from the festival. In his review, he states, “Ultimately, Life of Chuck is different for Flanagan because he can fully explore the rich characterizations that define his work without hitting those genre beats. While that might limit his audiences, his fans (of which I am one) will undoubtedly appreciate this detour and find The Life of Chuck a bittersweet tearjerker. More than anything, it’s a warning that our time on earth is limited and that it’s best to find joy wherever we can, even in the most fleeting moments.”
Variety is now reporting that the Stephen King adaptation has been sold to the indie production company Neon and is predicted to be released in the summer of 2025, with an awards push in the fall. Although the film is currently closing with Neon, the terms of the deal have not yet been announced as they are not yet completely finalized. Furthermore, Variety has not been able to get a spokesperson for the film distributor to comment on the acquisition at this time.
Per Variety, “Adapted from Stephen King’s 2020 novella, The Life of Chuck stars Tom Hiddleston and is directed by Mike Flanagan. Billed as a ‘life-affirming’ story about an ordinary man named Charles Krantz, the film is split into three distinct chapters that unfurl in reverse chronological order and set against the backdrop of a world that appears to be slowly crumbling. Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, and Jacob Tremblay co-star in The Life of Chuck, which has been compared to King adaptations like Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me rather than It or Pet Sematary.”
One of the notable scenes from the film’s hype is Tom Hiddleston partaking in an extended dance sequence. Hiddleston spoke about his experience in filming such a sequence, “I had to do all of these technical dances, none of which I have any training in. There are some that came more easily than others. I found I love dancing jazz and swing. Bossa nova is a technical thing that took my hips a minute to get my head around. Polka is like a 100-meter sprint. It feels like a gallop.”
