After winning the TIFF People’s Choice Award for “Life of Chuck,” Mike Flanagan is only getting started. He’s set to direct a complete reboot of ‘The Exorcist’ franchise, replacing exited filmmaker David Gordon Green, and has now added another project to his ever-expanding itinerary.
Flan the Man has signed up for another horror IP. Deadline is hearing that Flanagan will be adapting yet another Stephen King novel; their next collaboration will be“Carrie,” this time done in 8-episode limited series format for Amazon.
When I think of “Carrie,” I don’t even refer to King’s novel but rather Brian de Palma’s iconic 1976 horror movie, starring Sissy Spacey, John Travolta and Piper Laurie. A misbegotten 2013 remake, directed by Kimberly Pierce, starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore, has been mostly forgotten.
The 1974 novel tackles an excruciatingly shy girl, with hyperkinetic powers, with a domineering mother whose school bullying causes the most epic of consequences during prom night. Why Flanagan would want to spend his time retelling this story is beyond me.
Before his ‘Chuck’ TIFF win, Flanagan’s previous film was 2019’s “Doctor Sleep”, which was based on King’s follow-up to “The Shining.” He’s well-respected within the horror genre, and has amassed a fairly large fanbase, having also helmed “Oculus,” and “Gerald’s Game.” His best film happens to be his simplest one, the silent terror of “Hush,” which finally got a proper 4K release this year.
If anything, Flanagan is best known for his TV work, with credits that include popular Netflix fare such as “The Haunting of Hill House,” “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and “Midnight Mass.”
As expected, Snyder's latest is being torn apart by TIFF attendees. No mercy given. The film, which had its world premiere this evening, is being called by some one of the worst movies to ever premiere at the festival.