Horror maestro Mike Flanagan has already adapted several Stephen King stories into feature films and has at least two more in the works. Flanagan is clearly intrigued by King's literary works, and the director explained why he keeps returning to that well for new adaptations.
According to THR, Flanagan commented on his penchant for making King adaptations. He explained how his love for King dates back to his childhood, as his first foray into the horror genre was reading the revered author's books. Flanagan was so fascinated by King's work that the Cristina AND Carrie writer became his “hero”, but he had to overcome his fear first to get there. Although he had backed away It the first time he tried to watch it, simply appreciating King's stories had toughened Flanagan into the hard-to-scary person he has become today.
“As a child I couldn't watch horror movies,” he said. “They scared me too much. To try to hang out with my peers, I thought I could read scary books to become braver. Stephen King was one of the first authors I encounteredand I learned the hard way that it's much scarier on the page. And yes, the clowns and monsters are terrifying. But it only works because of his incredible humanistic care for the characters. He's always been my hero as a writer..”
Stephen King was one of the first authors I encountered, and I learned the hard way that he is much scarier when read on paper.
THE Silence Helmer continued: “When It it came out on ABC, all my friends had a sleepover to watch it — and I pretended to be sick so I could go home. My God, I was traumatized. But I found that if I could force myself to go through a scary scene without covering my eyes, I gradually became braver. That exercise gave me something I could bring into my life, when I was afraid of speaking in public or talking to a girl. By college, I had become hard to scare.And when I wanted to make horror films, everything started to look like ones and zeros in The matrix. I'm so immersed in the mechanics of the genre that it's very rare that a film touches me.”
Mike Flanagan's Next Stephen King Film Is Not a Horror Film
Flanagan's first feature film based on a King story was Gerald's Gamea psychological horror film released in 2017. He then directed Doctor Sleepa sequel to The brilliant which was also written by King. His next film, Chuck's LifeIt's not even a horror film, although it is based on a short story written by King. Flanagan is also ready to reboot The Dark Towerinspired by King's novel series.
Chuck's Life will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter