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. Lacking much of King’s conventional horror storytelling, The Life of Chuck instead relies on King’s amazing work with character.
Mike Flanagan, the horror mastermind behind The Fall of the House of Usher, The Haunting of Hill House, and Midnight Mass has directed 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 to that the fact that The Life of Chuck‘s cast is led by the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill, and Karen Gillan, and the new Stephen King movie is set to be one of the strongest of the author’s adaptations in recent memory.
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Most Recent The Life Of Chuck News
A Full Trailer Is Revealed
Coming around a month after the first teaser arrived, the latest news comes in the form of a full trailer for The Life of Chuck. Leaning heavily into the emotional aspects of the story, the trailer opens with narration that explains the basic philosophy of the film. The trailer shows Chuck as a boy going through many of the milestone moments in someone’s existence, and juxtaposes the images with voice-over all about the richness of life. Happy and sad moments get equal play, and the trailer also offers first looks at supporting cast members like Matthew Lillard and Mia Sara.
Watch the trailer below:
The Life Of Chuck Release Date
Mike Flanagan’s Third Stephen King Movie Is Coming In Summer 2025
The movie does open opposite Karate Kid: Legends, though it’s unlikely that the movies will have much overlap in their target audiences.
Because of its award-winning appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Life of Chuck has scored a distribution deal with NEON. The indie company behind hits like Longlegs and Cuckoo is set to distribute the movie theatrically on June 6, 2025, and it will have a somewhat limited release. The movie does open opposite the John Wick spinoff, Ballerina, but the two films probably won’t have too much audience overlap.
Because the film has already screened for a number of audiences, The Life of Chuck has also gotten some critical attention. Already a hit with most critics who have seen it, the Stephen King movie currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes score in the mid 80s, though it will likely fluctuate once more people get a chance to view the film. On the flip side, IGN had less-than-positive things to say about the movie, deriding its sappiness and pseudo-metaphysical mythology.
The Life of Chuck had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024.
The Life Of Chuck Cast Details
Tom Hiddleston Leads An All-Star 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. Jacob Tremblay (Room), Benjamin Pajak (Past my Bedtime), and Cody Flanagan (making his screen debut) all play Chuck at different phases of his life as well. Hiddleston is joined by Mark Hamill (Star Wars) as Albie Krantz, Chuck’s grandfather.
Along with an extensive list of supporting stars, Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) plays a teacher named Marty Anderson, while Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) plays Felicia Gordon. Scream alum Matthew Lillard is set to appear as a character named Gus, but little is known about the supporting cast. Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman will lend his signature voice as the narrator of the film.
The entire known cast includes:
|
Actor |
The Life of Chuck Role |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Tom Hiddleston |
Charles “Chuck” Krantz |
|
|
Mark Hamill |
Albie Krantz |
|
|
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 |
A Greiving Father |
|
|
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 |
Chuck’s Mother |
|
|
Heather Langenkamp |
Vera |
|
|
Lauren LaVera |
Unknown |
|
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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.
The Life Of Chuck Trailers
Watch The Full Trailers Below
With months to go before the movie’s release, a teaser for The Life of Chuck arrived in March 2025. Opening with a shot of a starry sky, the teaser then shows a ticking clock and a heart monitor as it beeps along in time. It then cuts to Chuck walking away from the camera on a crowded street before showing Chuck at various stages in his life. The teaser concludes with a high-angle shot of Chuck standing in the street as life passes around him.
Shortly after the teaser dropped, NEON provided a full trailer for The Life of Chuck in April 2025. Opening with narration from Chuck’s grandpa, Albie, the trailer then shows the titular character at different stages of life as he experiences love, loss, and everything in between. Quick visual teases are shown of supporting characters like Marty Anderson and Gus, while also showing how the world of the adult version of Chuck seems to be fantastical or even imaginary.
The Life of Chuck
8/10
- Release Date
-
May 30, 2025
- Runtime
-
110 minutes
- Producers
-
D. Scott Lumpkin, Elan Gale, Trevor Macy, Molly C. Quinn, Melinda Nishioka