Movies

“The Life of Chuck,” based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, is a shoo-in for Oscar nominations and has been called a modern-day “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

By Kevin Slane

April 16, 2025 | 11:29 AM

1 minute to read

The first trailer for “The Life of Chuck” hit the internet Tuesday, giving audiences a first look what some critics are calling one of the best Stephen King movies ever.

Based on the 2020 King novella of the same name, “The Life of Chuck” is directed by Salem native Mike Flanagan, who has already adapted King for the big screen twice before with 2017’s “Gerald’s Game” and 2019’s “Doctor Sleep.”

Flanagan is also Netflix’s go-to prestige horror director: Since 2018, he has been showrunner on “The Haunting of Hill House,” “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” “Midnight Mass,” “The Midnight Club,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.”

Despite Flanagan’s horror bonafides, “The Life of Chuck” is firmly in the vein of King’s lighter, more optimistic works, with the trailer name-checking “Stand by Me,” “The Green Mile,” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”

Told in three acts in reverse chronological order, the film is about the life of Charles “Chuck” Krantz, who is played at various ages by Tom Hiddleston (“Loki”), Jacob Tremblay (“Room”), newcomer Benjamin Pajak, and Flanagan’s own son, Cody.

Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) begins to see Chuck everywhere he looks. From billboards to window signs to TV commercials, it feels like every inhabitant of a rapidly crumbling world has decided to bid farewell to Chuck. Why is this perfectly ordinary accountant suddenly everywhere? The answer is hidden somewhere in the past, and is slowly revealed through a thematically rich and emotionally resonant narrative.

While it may sound life a confusing watch, “The Life of Chuck” was a hit with audiences at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2024, winning the festival’s audience award. Since 2012, every single movie that has won the TIFF Audience Award has also been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, which explains why Neon paid top dollar to secure distribution rights.

Co-starring Karen Gillan (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), Mark Hamill (“Star Wars”), Annalise Basso (“Snowpiercer”) and Mia Sara (“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”), “The Life of Chuck” hits theaters June 13.

Watch the “The Life of Chuck” trailer:

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