Mike Flanagan is taking a victory lap with his latest Stephen King adaptation. The Life of Chuck is heading back to theaters for one night only right after it hits physical media, which is a weird little release dance you don’t see too often. If you missed it in June, or just want to cry in public again, here’s what you need to know.
What this thing actually is
Despite the King pedigree and Flanagan’s horror resume (Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, with The Dark Tower and Carrie series brewing at Amazon Studios), this is not a horror flick. It’s adapted from King’s 2020 collection If It Bleeds and it tells Charles Krantz’s life in reverse: three chapters, starting with his death from a brain tumor and winding back to his childhood in a maybe-haunted house. It’s a genre blend that’s more soul-searching than spooky. JoBlo’s Chris Bumbray gave it a 7/10 and called it a bittersweet tearjerker, which is exactly the lane it’s driving in.
Release timeline, because it’s a little funky
The movie opened in theaters at the start of June. It’s already out on digital. The 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD land September 30, with pre-orders up now. Then, one day later, it goes back to the big screen for a one-night nationwide event on October 1.
"The Life of Chuck returns to theaters on October 1st for one-night-only screenings across the nation, featuring a special conversation with director Mike Flanagan and legendary actor Mark Hamill. Get tickets now at thelifeofchuck.film."
That post-screening conversation is the hook here: Flanagan and Mark Hamill will be on deck for a special talk as part of the event.
Who is in it
- Tom Hiddleston (Loki) as Chuck
- Mark Hamill (Star Wars) as his grandfather Albie
- Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
- Matthew Lillard (Scream)
- Jacob Tremblay (The Predator)
- Mia Sara (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
- Kate Siegel (Hush)
- Benjamin Pajak (Past My Bedtime)
- Trinity Jo-Li Bliss (Avatar: The Way of Water)
- Q'orianka Kilcher (The New World)
- Antonio Raul Corbo (Into the Dark: Pilgrim)
- Harvey Guillen (What We Do in the Shadows)
- Carl Lumbly (Doctor Sleep)
- Annalise Basso (Ouija: Origin of Evil)
- Samantha Sloyan (The Midnight Club)
- Rahul Kohli (Midnight Mass)
- Matt Biedel (Aliens Abducted My Parents)
- Sauriyan Sapkota (The Fall of the House of Usher)
- Saidah Arrika Ekulona (The Haunting of Hill House)
- Michael Trucco (Battlestar Galactica)
- Violet McGraw (M3GAN)
- Molly C. Quinn (Castle)
- Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
- Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy)
- David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil)
Karen Gillan has gone on record calling the film "a beautiful masterpiece," and David Dastmalchian described it as "a beautiful, heartfelt drama." Not exactly the usual pull quotes you get with a King adaptation, which tracks with how Flanagan plays this one.
Bottom line
If you want the big-screen version with a little extra star power, the October 1 one-night event is your shot. If you prefer the couch, the disc lands September 30 and digital is already out. Unusual rollout, yes, but it fits a movie that tells a life story backward and still somehow feels hopeful.
Are you heading back to theaters for The Life of Chuck, or grabbing the disc and calling it a night?