The Life of Chuck debuts new footage at CinemaCon, previewing Mike Flanagan’s upcoming Stephen King adaptation. Based on the King novella of the same name, the NEON film stars Tom Hiddleston in the role of Charles Krantz with a story that depicts three chapters in his life. The Life of Chuck cast features a number of regular Flanagan collaborators and newcomers alike, including Mark Hamill, Karen Gillan, Matthew Lillard, Samantha Sloyan, Mia Sara, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jacob Tremblay, and Kate Siegel, among others.

During NEON’s CinemaCon presentation today, for which ScreenRant was in attendance, those in the audience were shown a full-length trailer for The Life of Chuck. The footage begins with a voiceover from Hamill, who says, “When you look up at the night sky, it can tell you stuff about your future. It won’t lie to you. It’s pure that way.” This voiceover plays over footage of Tom Hiddleston’s Chuck at various stages of his life, including a scene of him dancing and another of him pointing up at the sky.

Hamill, who is described as looking similar to Geppetto in Pinocchio, is then shown comforting a young Chuck, who looks to be having a breakdown. Many shots of the main cast under the night sky are interspersed throughout the footage, suggesting it will be a recurring motif in the movie.

What This Means For The Life Of Chuck

The Movie Will Be A Departure For Mike Flanagan

As was already obvious from the source material and the early teaser for The Life of Chuck, the upcoming movie will mark a change in pace for Flanagan, who has worked extensively in the horror genre for years now. He will be best known to many audiences as the creator of Netflix shows The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), and Midnight Mass (2021), as well as the director of movies like Hush (2016) and Doctor Sleep (2019).

The Life of Chuck, however, has been described as a “life-affirming” story, and it’s not set to feature any major scares. The footage shown at CinemaCon reinforces this, teasing a heartfelt tale about an ordinary man dealing with hardship. It also seems as if Hamill will feature prominently in the narrative after first working with Flanagan on the well-received The Fall of the House of Usher (2023). Hamill will be Chuck’s grandfather, Albie, and will seemingly serve as a significant mentor figure.

King is best known for horror, but some of the most acclaimed adaptations of his work have been dramas. This includes Stand by Me (1986), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and The Green Mile (1999).

Our Take On The Life Of Chuck Footage

Expect An Emotional Tale

If there is one thing that remains true of most Flanagan shows and movies, it’s that they deal heavily with emotion and the lasting impact of trauma. Though it’s not clear if the latter will play a large role in The Life of Chuck, it certainly sounds like Chuck’s emotions and struggles at the different stages of his life will be a major focus as he slowly approaches death.

Hiddleston may be best known for playing Loki in the MCU, but he has proven dramatic chops, and it sounds like he is just the figure to bring Chuck to life. Audiences, it seems, are in for some potentially tear-jerking moments in The Life of Chuck. Following the film’s appearance at CinemaCon, there may not be long left to wait for a full-length trailer, which will reveal more about the movie.