Warner Bros. has greenlit a new adaptation of “The Mist,” based on Stephen King’s 1980 novella, to be written and directed by—who else—Mike Flanagan (via Deadline).
I mean… why? I loved Frank Darabont’s 2007 “The Mist,” and no offense to Flanagan, but I don’t see the need for a retread when there’s already a perfectly good film version of King’s story.
As I noted a few months back, instead of Hollywood remaking films that were already good in the first place, why not take a crack at remaking the bad ones? It makes far more sense than revisiting a story that already worked so well the first time it was adapted for the screen.
In “The Mist,” a Maine town is engulfed by a mysterious fog from which deadly creatures emerge. Survivors take refuge in a local grocery store, where fear and desperation ignite mob mentality—it’s an apt exploration of both heroism and the dark extremes of human nature.
With Darabont retired—for now—Flanagan has become King’s new favorite director to adapt his books. He has kept busy with King’s works, directing “Gerald’s Game,” “Doctor Sleep,” “Life of Chuck,” “Carrie,” and currently had an adaptation of “The Dark Tower” in development.
With all due respect to Flanagan, it’s difficult to understand the need to remake Darabont’s ‘The Mist,’ particularly when Stephen King himself has praised the film’s ending as superior to the book. The movie is often regarded as one of the best adaptations of King’s work, and the 2017 TV series was poorly received—so why make another film?
There are so many other King stories that could be adapted that there’s little justification for returning to ‘The Mist’ yet again. Perhaps the inevitable backlash to this project will give Warner Bros., Flanagan, and King second thoughts about the whole thing.