Mike Flanagan has quietly become the most trusted filmmaker in the Stephen King universe, and he just added another King title to his growing list. After The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The House of Usher, Life of Chuck, and the upcoming Carrie series, Flanagan’s track record with literary horror source material stands unmatched in modern genre filmmaking. A Flanagan adaptation of The Mist, one of King’s most claustrophobic and psychologically rich novellas, ranks as one of the most exciting horror announcements of the year. Furthermore, Frank Darabont’s 2007 film holds widespread recognition as one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made, which makes this new version’s existence both bold and genuinely intriguing.
He’s Writing It Right Now
Flanagan confirmed to Collider that his Mist screenplay is currently in progress. He was working on it on the plane to the interview. He plans to turn the finished script in around Halloween.
This Is Not a Remake
Flanagan has been emphatic on BlueSky about what this film is not. His exact words, “I love Darabont’s film, and there’s zero point in remaking it. Which is why I’m going in a different direction.” He doubled down further, “This isn’t a retread. The differences start page 1.”
He also preempted the inevitable pushback from fans questioning why a new version needs to exist at all, “I got the same ‘but why’ comments for Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor, House of Usher, Carrie, The Exorcist, even Ouija: Origin of Evil. Also got it for Life of Chuck. I’ve been lucky so far in my career to only take on projects I’m really excited about.” And then, to a fan asking directly, “The Mist is going to be great. If there wasn’t an excellent answer to why, I wouldn’t do it.”
Flanagan writes and directs.
The Source Material
King’s The Mist was first published in the 1980 anthology Dark Forces before being collected in Skeleton Crew in 1985, alongside The Raft, Survivor Type, and The Monkey. The story is set in a Maine town swallowed by a mysterious fog. Creatures emerge from the mist. A group of survivors takes refuge in a local grocery store, and discovers that mob mentality and unchecked religious extremism can be just as deadly as whatever is lurking outside. It’s the King story that’s always been as much about human nature as monster horror. Flanagan, whose work consistently centres on grief, family fracture, and the psychology of dread, is a natural fit.
Darabont’s 2007 adaptation starred Thomas Jane and Marcia Gay Harden. A Spike TV series ran briefly in 2017 and was cancelled after one season. Flanagan’s version will be the third screen adaptation.
No cast, studio, release date, or production timeline has been announced yet. The script isn’t finished.
