Summary
WhileStephen Kinghas maintained a huge fan base for several decades,some of the most exciting adaptations of his beloved work are happening right now. Earlier in 2025, audiences were creeped out by the gory kills inOsgood Perkins’sThe Monkey, and fans are gearing up for Francis Lawrence’s movie adaptation ofThe Long Walk, which will be released in September. This summer, audiences are enjoying the heart and emotion inThe Life of Chuck, the film written and directed by Mike Flanagan,a huge fan of King who appreciates King’s singular storytelling talents.
Although Flanagan has made a few movies based on King’s work, includingThe ShiningsequelDoctor Sleepand the 2017 filmGerald’s Game, he once shared that there was one project that just didn’t happen.
Mike Flanagan Hoped To Make A Movie Based On Stephen King’s Revival
In a recent interview withThe Toronto Sun,Mike Flanagan shared the Stephen King movie that he wants to make, but that didn’t work out.He said:
“The one that got away wasRevival. I wrote an adaptation of that one that I loved. I wish it could have made its way to the screen. I hope someday that it does.”
Flanagan addressed this project in a previous interview withThe Hollywood Reporterand shared a bit more about it. He said:
“I wrote a script for Stephen King’sRevival, one of my favorite things I’ve ever written, but it fell apart. That’s gone now because I haveThe Dark Tower.Stephen doesn’t like to have you sitting on more than one thing at a time. It means something’s not getting made.”
Based on Flanagan’s love for the project, it’s possible that his version ofRevivalwill be made in the future.King’s novelRevivalwas published in 2017 and tells the story of a minister named Charles Jacobs and a musician named Jamie Morton. It’s sad, unnerving, and features many supernatural elements. Although King is of course famous for his unsettling tales,Revivalis more in line with his bleak yet somewhat realistic novels likeLisey’s Story, which was published in 2006.
There are a lot of King novels that should become movies, butRevivalis a particularly interesting prospect. Flanagan would definitely be the right filmmaker to adaptRevival. One of hisNetflix horror shows,Midnight Mass, addresses similar themes of good and evil and also has a storyline about religion, and his passion for the project would likely result in an impressive movie.
Mike Flanagan Is Working On Two Highly Anticipated And Compelling TV Adaptations Of Stephen King’s Work
Mike Flanagan may not be developing a movie based onRevival, at least not at the time of this writing, but he’s got two significant and exciting Stephen King adaptations in the works.Flanagan is making TV shows based onThe Dark TowerandCarrie, and both are ambitious projects.
Flanagan shared that King doesn’t give rigid feedback on adaptationsand, instead, wants the filmmaker or showrunner to go ahead with their own artistic vision. But, of course, not every movie or TV show based on a King story works well, andKing himself said the best adaptations follow his story. In the cases ofThe Dark TowerandCarrie, Flanagan will no doubt put his stamp on them as he hasa knack for telling scary stories that are moving and emotional. But Flanagan will likely include the core elements of King’s epic saga and tale about a high school girl who doesn’t fit in. As long as any changes make sense, both TV shows will be satisfying.
