Mike Flanagan Affirms His The Mist Adaptation Will Take An Original Direction
Dark Horizons has shared an update on the upcoming The Mist horror film, the third adaptation of Stephen King’s original 1980 novella, which will be directed by The Haunting of Hill House director Mike Flanagan.
The project was confirmed earlier this month by Deadline. It will be the fifth time Flanagan will adapt a King piece for the screen, following 2017’s Gerald’s Game, 2019’s Doctor Sleep and 2024’s The Life of Chuck.
Focusing on a small band of town survivors fighting for their lives in a supermarket against otherworldly, bloodthirsty monsters, The Mist was first adapted by Frank Darabont (who also adapted King’s The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption) in 2007, creating one of the horror genre’s most emotionally devastating endings. It was then made into a series a decade later by Christian Torpe.
Sharing his reasoning for making another adaptation for King’s gruesome novella, Flanagan affirmed the work will share his own specific vision: “If there wasn’t an excellent answer to ‘why’, I wouldn’t do it. I love Darabont’s film, and there’s zero point in remaking it. Which is why I’m going in a different direction.”
He added: “I learned long ago never to try to predict what the fans will or won’t argue about… but yeah, this isn’t a retread. The differences start on page 1.”
Flanagan also shared that this film joins the list of “projects [he’s] really excited about” and “lucky” to have.
The filmmaker will also be responsible for the fifth re-telling of King’s 1974 debut novel Carrie, which he will turn into a mini-series scheduled to be released this Halloween on Prime Video. He is also having a go at adapting another horror novel for the big screen. 2027 will see the release of his The Exorcist, based on William Blatty’s 1971 novel of the same title, which was first adapted by William Friedkin in 1973 into what became one of horror’s greatest.
It is hoped that Flanagan will rescue the iconic horror franchise following David Gordon Green’s unsuccessful attempt at a trilogy, starting with the poorly received The Exorcist: Believer in 2024.
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