Mike Flanagan to Direct ‘The Mist’ Adaptation for Warner Bros

Warner Bros. has greenlit a new adaptation of “The Mist,” based on Stephen King’s 1980 novella, to be written and directed by—who else—Mike Flanagan (via Deadline).

via: The Playlist

While a reunion between horror guru Mike Flanagan and Warner Bros. on another Stephen King adaptation isn’t all that shocking, what they’re doing next might throw off horror fans, as they’ll be tackling a new feature version of “The Mist” (based on King’s novella that was published in “Skeleton Crew“).

A report hailing from Deadline revealed the pairing for the latest horror remake as Flanagan will direct, write the script, and produce through Red Room alongside Tyler Thompson, Spyglass Media‘s Gary Barber, and Chris Stone. It will also have Alexandra Magistro serving as an executive producer for Red Room.

Originally, “The Mist” focuses on a group of small-towners from Maine who get trapped in a store after a fog rolls in, obscuring everyone’s vision, and they discover interdimensional monsters are lurking within a neverending/dense fog (possibly connected to the actions of a local military facility) as they slowly discover the unseen horrors awaiting them if they leave. Their paranoia increases, which leads to a faction of the survivors buying into religious doomsaying, and Jane’s father character tries his best to keep his young son safe, at the same time, trying to keep the increasingly violent mob at bay.

This remake is a tad surprising given that Frank Darabont‘s (“Shawshank Redemption,” “The Walking Dead“) version from 2007 starring Thomas Jane (who plays a cover artist with Drew Struzan‘s work in the background and is seen painting a “Dark Tower” piece with King’s iconic good-guy Gunslinger) as the film’s protagonst and is considered one of the better King adaptations from the 2000s, which eventually developed a cult status after its theatrical run (at the time, considered a definative take on King’s material). Others that starred in that pic included Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, and Toby Jones.

Then again, there was a short-lived series iteration at Paramount that happened in an attempt to reboot “The Mist,” and Flanagan might be the best person to follow in the footsteps of Darabont. He’s no stranger to the world of King after tackling “Gerald’s Game” (starring Jane), “Doctor Sleep” (a direct sequel to “The Shining“), “Life of Chuck,” and is behind the upcoming series version of “Carrie” at Prime Video.

Currently, Flanagan is gearing up to shoot a new take on “The Exorcist” for Blumhouse/Universal Pictures with an impressive and growing cast that features Scarlett Johansson, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and on-the-rise youngster Jacobi Jupe (“Hamnet”).

So, with that, it’s sort of unclear when “The Mist” would get in front of cameras, as it likely only just started development. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that Flanagan considers a reunion with Tom Hiddleston after working with the actor on “Life of Chuck.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhCKXJNGzN8