The Life of Chuck is a 2024 American drama film written and directed by Mike Flanagan. It is an adaptation of the Stephen King novella published in the 2020 collection If It Bleeds. Tom Hiddleston plays Charles "Chuck" Krantz, and the film co-stars Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, and Jacob Tremblay.
| The Life of Chuck | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mike Flanagan |
| Screenplay by | Mike Flanagan |
| Based on | The Life of Chuck by Stephen King |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Eben Bolter |
| Edited by | Mike Flanagan |
| Music by | The Newton Brothers |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024.
Cast
- Tom Hiddleston as Charles "Chuck" Krantz
- Benjamin Pajak, Cody Flanagan and Jacob Tremblay play younger iterations of Krantz
- Mark Hamill as Albie Krantz, Charles' grandfather
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Marty Anderson, a school teacher
- Karen Gillan as Marty Anderson's ex-girlfriend, a nurse
- Taylor Gordon
- Mia Sara as Sarah Krantz, Charles' grandmother
- Trinity Bliss as Cat
- Matthew Lillard as Gus, a construction worker
- Q'orianka Kilcher as Ginny Krantz
- Antonio Raul Corbo
- Harvey Guillén
- David Dastmalchian
- Kate Siegel as an English teacher
- Carl Lumbly as Sam Yarbrough, a funeral director
- Annalise Basso as Janice Halliday
- Samantha Sloyan as a brusque dance instructor
- Rahul Kohli
- Matt Biedel
- Sauriyan Sapkota
- Saidah Arrika Ekulona
- Michael Trucco
- Violet McGraw as Lily
- Molly C. Quinn
- Heather Langenkamp
- Nick Offerman as The Narrator
Production
In July 2020, Stephen King's novella The Life of Chuck was optioned by Darren Aronofsky's production company, Protozoa Pictures.[1] In May 2023, an adaptation was announced, with Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill set to star for director Mike Flanagan, who previously helmed adaptations of King's novels including Gerald's Game (2017) and Doctor Sleep (2019); the film was stated to match in tone King-based drama film adaptations such as Stand by Me (1986), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and The Green Mile (1999).[2]
Filming began in Alabama during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, under a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement in October, with Deadline Hollywood reporting Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan and Jacob Tremblay were added to the cast,[3] and Flanagan himself announcing the full cast a few days later.[4] Filming wrapped on November 16, 2023.[5]
In December 2023, it was revealed that Flanagan would also serve as editor, as he had done in his previous films.[6] In April 2024, the Newton Brothers, frequent collaborators of Flanagan, were announced to be serving as composers.[7]
Release
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024.[8][9][10]
Reception
The film holds an 85% "Fresh" score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 13 reviews with an average rating of 7.1/10.[11]
References
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 10, 2020). "Stephen King Novella 'If It Bleeds' Draws Movie Deals From Netflix & John Lee Hancock/Jason Blum/Ryan Murphy, Two Others From Ben Stiller And Darren Aronofsky". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (May 8, 2023). "Tom Hiddleston & Mark Hamill to Star in Stephen King Adaptation The Life of Chuck for Director Mike Flanagan; FilmNation Launches Hot Project for Cannes Market". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (October 23, 2023). "The Life of Chuck: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan & Jacob Tremblay Join Stephen King Adaptation from Mike Flanagan". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ Wampler, Scott (October 25, 2023). "Matthew Lillard (And a Million Other People) Just Joined the Cast of The Life of Chuck". Fangoria. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ Schreur, Brandon (November 17, 2023). "Mike Flanagan Provides The Life of Chuck Update as Stephen King Movie Wraps Production". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Cotter, Padraig (December 2, 2023). "New Stephen King Movie Returns Mike Flanagan To 1 Important Role Missing From His Last 6 Horror Films". Screen Rant. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ filmmusicreporter. "The Newton Brothers Scoring Mike Flanagan's 'The Life of Chuck'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (June 18, 2024). "Toronto film festival world premieres to include 'Nightbitch', Elton John doc, 'The Wild Robot'". Screen Daily. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ "The Life of Chuck". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ Breznican, Anthony (September 3, 2024). "The Life of Chuck: The Feel-Good Stephen King Apocalypse Movie". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ "The Life of Chuck". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
