One of the most prolific partnerships in horror is coming back to the big screen. Horror maestro Mike Flanagan is set to adapt yet another Stephen King classic. This time, he’ll tackle The Mist, King‘s 1980 novella about a grocery store besieged by a mysterious fog full of ghastly monsters. The story has been adapted for the screen twice before; once as a film, and later as a TV series.
According to reports, Flanagan will both write and direct an adaptation of the story, which was originally published in the anthology Dark Forces before being published in 1985’s Skeleton Crew, a collection of King stories that also included The Monkey. It’s the latest in what is becoming a fruitful partnership between Flanagan and King. Other King works Flanagan has brought to the screen include Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, and The Life of Chuck. Flanagan is also in production on a TV series version of King‘s first-ever novel, Carrie, as well as an adaptation of his seemingly unfilmable Dark Tower series of fantasy novels.
What Is ‘The Mist’ About?
Set in Bridgton, Maine, the story begins when a strange mist descends on the town following a thunderstorm. Local artist David Drayton heads to the grocery store with his young son Billy, only for twisted, predatory creatures to emerge from the mist, trapping the Draytons in the store with a ragtag group of survivors. It may originate from experiments at a nearby military base, but a religious fanatic among the survivors convinces the others that it’s God’s wrath. The book was made into a film in 2007; written and directed by Frank Darabont, and stars Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, and Toby Jones. The film was a modest success, grossing $57 million on an $18 million budget, and featured monsters designed by legendary horror comics artist Bernie Wrightson. It mostly hews closely to King‘s original novella, but adds on a shockingly bleak ending. It was subsequently adapted into a TV series for Spike TV in 2017; created by Christian Torpe and starring Morgan Spector, Alyssa Sutherland, and Gus Birney, it was cancelled after a single season.
In addition to writing and directing, Flanagan will also produce via Red Room alongside Tyler Thompson and Spyglass’ Gary Barber and Chris Stone. Alexandra Magistro will also executive produce for Red Room. The film is a production of Warner Bros.
A remake of The Mist is in development; no release date has yet been announced.
via Collider