After his upcoming Carrie miniseries, Mike Flanagan (Gerald's Game, Doctor Sleep, The Life of Chuck) is set to tackle yet another Stephen King story for Warner Bros., but this one has previously been adapted for the big screen - and most fans were very happy with the result.
Frank Darabont's 2007 take on The Mist is widely considered one of the better adaptations of King's work, despite the downbeat ending that differs significantly from the conclusion of the book. A lot of horror fans have wondered why another version of the story is necessary, and Flanagan has now weighed in on social media.
“I love Darabont’s film, and there’s zero point in remaking it,” Flanagan responded to a fan on BlueSky. “Which is why I’m going in a different direction."
“I learned a long ago never to try to predict what the fans will or won’t argue about (everybody needs to relax, frankly; I just saw a whole chain of people foaming at the mouth over fan-made AI slop posters for The Exorcist)… but yeah, this isn’t a retread. The differences start page 1,” he added.
The story focuses on a small town in Maine that is mysteriously enveloped in a thick fog from which strange creatures emerge to attack the townsfolk. A group of survivors barricade themselves in a local grocery store, but - as is so often the case in much of King's work - the struggle for survival brings out the best in some and the absolute worst in others.
In addition to the 2007 film, which starred Thomas Jane and Marcia Gay Harden, a 10-episode limited series created by Christian Torpe aired in 2017 on Spike, but it was not at all well-received.
"The Mist is going to be great. If there wasn’t an excellent answer to ‘why,’ I wouldn’t do it," Flanagan previously wrote when the new project was announced. "And FWIW, I got the same ‘but why’ comments for The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor, House of Usher, Carrie, The Exorcist, and even Ouija: Origin of Evil. Also got it for Life of Chuck,” added Flanagan on BlueSky. “I’ve been lucky so far in my career to only take on projects I’m really excited about.”
What do you think? Any interest in a new take on The Mist? Let us know in the comments section.
A violent storm hits a town in Maine, then an approaching cloud of mist appears the next morning. As the mist quickly envelops the area, a group of people get trapped in a local grocery store, among them, artist David Drayton and his five-year-old son. The people soon discover that within the mist lives numerous species of horrific, unworldly creatures that entered through an inter-dimensional rift, possibly caused by a project on a nearby military base. As the world around them turns into a literal Hell-on-earth, the horrified citizens try desperately to survive this apocalyptic disaster.