The Life of Chuck is the upcoming movie from Mike Flanagan adapting the Stephen King novella of the same name from his 2020 collection If It Bleeds. As the title suggests, the story tells the life of Charles “Chuck” Krantz, a man dying from a brain tumor. The story is told in reverse order, and is definitely among the more experimental of King’s works.
Mike Flanagan, the horror mastermind behind The Fall of the House of Usher, The Haunting of Hill House, and Midnight Mass is directing the adaptation. The prospect of another Flanagan-directed King adaptation after 2017’s Gerald’s Game and 2019’s Doctor Sleep has already gained a lot of attention. Add in that The Life of Chuck cast is led by the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill, and Karen Gillan, and the new horror film could be set to be one of the strongest Stephen King adaptations yet.
Most Recent The Life Of Chuck News
A Release Window Is Announced
Shortly after the Stephen King adaptation scored big during its film festival run, the latest news confirms the release window for The Life of Chuck. The movie debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September 2024, and its award-winning run has earned it a distribution deal with NEON. The indie movie powerhouse that has released recent hits like Longlegs and Cuckoo, is set to give The Life of Chuck a full theatrical run. To announce the deal, NEON shared an emphatic post on X (formerly Twitter) revealing a summer 2025 window for the anticipated Stephen King movie.
The Life Of Chuck Is Confirmed
Mike Flanagan’s Third Stephen King Movie Is Coming In Summer 2025
The Life of Chuck is confirmed. Mike Flanagan’s adaption of the Stephen King novella from If It Bleeds was first announced in May 2023. It was later announced that Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill would lead the cast. Filming on The Life of Chuck began in 2023 in Alabama, with production able to start thanks to an interim agreement with SAG-AFTRA to work on the movie despite the ongoing strikes at the time. Flanagan announced post-production had wrapped in April 2024, and the movie debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Because of its award-winning appearance at the film festival, The Life of Chuck has scored a distribution deal with NEON. The indie distributor behind hits like Longlegs and Cuckoois set to release the movie theatrically in summer 2025, though an exact date remains elusive.
The SAG-AFTRA strike concluded on November 9th, 2023.
The Life Of Chuck Cast
The Life of Chuck cast is star-studded, although some cast details haven’t been revealed. Tom Hiddleston (Loki, Crimson Peak) will lead the cast as Charles “Chuck” Krantz, the central character of both the film and the original story in the novella collection If It Bleeds by Stephen King. Hiddleston will be joined by Mark Hamill (Batman: The Animated Series, Star Wars) as Albie, although no details about the character are known. Unlike other films which slowly mete out their cast list over time, an exhaustive list of stars has been revealed.
The entire cast includes:
|
Actor |
The Life of Chuck Role |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Tom Hiddleston |
Charles “Chuck” Krantz |
 |
|
Mark Hamill |
Albie |
 |
|
Nick Offerman |
The Narrator |
 |
|
Chiwetel Ejiofor |
Marty Anderson |
 |
|
Karen Gillan |
Felicia Gordon |
 |
|
Jacob Tremblay |
Young Chuck |
 |
|
Mia Sara |
Sarah Krantz |
 |
|
Matthew Lillard |
Gus |
 |
|
Q’orianka Kilcher |
Ginny Krantz |
 |
|
Harvey Guillén |
Unknown |
 |
|
David Dastmalchian |
Unknown |
 |
|
Kate Siegel |
Miss Richards |
 |
|
Carl Lumbly |
Sam Yarborough |
 |
|
Annalise Basso |
Janice Halliday |
 |
|
Samantha Sloyan |
Miss Rohrbacher |
 |
|
Rahul Kohli |
Bri |
 |
|
Matt Biedel |
Unknown |
 |
|
Sauriyan Sapkota |
Unknown |
 |
|
Saidah Arrika Ekulona |
Unknown |
 |
|
Michael Trucco |
Unknown |
 |
|
Violet McGraw |
Lily |
 |
|
Molly Quinn |
Unknown |
 |
|
Heather Langenkamp |
Vera |
 |
|
Lauren LaVera |
Unknown |
 |
The Life Of Chuck Story Details
It’s Based On A Short Story From King’s Book If It Bleeds
Throughout the story, Chuck is dying from a brain tumor, and his perception of reality is slipping as his brain slowly ceases to function and that impacts how the story is told.
The Life of Chuck is based on a story from the 2020 Stephen King novella collection If It Bleeds. The novella The Life of Chuck is split into three acts, told in reverse chronological order, starting with the death of Chuck (Tom Hiddleston in the movie), then proceeding to showcase moments in his life, culminating with his childhood as an orphan in a supposedly haunted house.
Throughout the story, Chuck is dying from a brain tumor, and his perception of reality is slipping as his brain slowly ceases to function and that impacts how the story is told. Exactly how Mike Flanagan will adapt the source material for The Life of Chuck remains to be seen. Stephen King is notorious for being less-than-favorable when it comes to some movie adaptations of his work. However, with Mike Flanagan involved, it seems that The Life of Chuck has the ingredients to be among the better Stephen King movies.