Say what you will of writer-director Mike Flanagan’s prolific output and tendency to retread some of the same themes (and performers)–the guy has been keyed in like few other filmmakers in the last decade to the pulse of what his audiences want. Typically, those audiences are horror genre geeks who also appreciate Flanagan’s writerly tendencies toward speechifying and emotion, but his upcoming June 13, 2025 release of feature film The Life of Chuck is going out on more of a line than other recent projects. Yes, this is another Stephen King adaptation, much like his previous film versions of Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, but Neon’s The Life of Chuck is quite a different sort of story, one that leans more into the aforementioned sentimental side of Flanagan’s directorial wheelhouse, rather than the “boo!” side.
The first trailer for the film, released today (you can view below) makes this immediately clear. The fact that the film is being sold as a product of the mind of The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me and Stand By Me indicates that the studio and filmmaker really want to set the impression that this is a Frank Darabont-style King adaptation, a nostalgic trip down the Americana memory lane meant to uplift and tug at the heart strings. The only question is, can Flanagan land that type of story without completely giving in to the schmaltz?
Tom Hiddleston stars as the titular Chuck, with key events in his aforementioned life presented at three different ages. The big ensemble cast includes heavy hitters such as the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nick Offerman and Mark Hamill, joined delightfully in the trailer by none other than Ferris Bueller‘s Mia Sara, making her return to acting after a decade in retirement. They’re joined by so many of the Mike Flanagan Repertory Players who have populated most of his biggest film and TV projects, including Karen Gillan and Annalise Basso (Oculus), Rahul Kohli and Samantha Sloyan (multiple projects), and of course wife Kate Siegel, who made her own directorial debut last fall in horror anthology V/H/S/Beyond.
The trailer below tells us in no uncertain terms that The Life of Chuck is aiming for tear-jerker, “American classic cinema” status, and all the awards show validation that comes along with it. Time will tell if Flanagan can rein in the more indulgent tendencies of his style and make it work. The Life of Chuck arrives in U.S. theaters on June 13, 2025.
