The Stephen King Adaptation Mike Flanagan Regrets Not Directing

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Mike Flanagan has cemented himself as one of horror's truly great modern storytellers. From his miniseries on Netflix like "The Haunting of Hill House" to underrated gems such as "Hush," the man has earned the trust of viewers. He's also earned the trust of Stephen King, as Flanagan has made two movies based on the author's work; "Gerald's Game" and "Doctor Sleep." In both of those cases, the material was incredibly difficult to adapt, yet Flanagan got it done. While the filmmaker isn't through with King, there is a project that he wishes hadn't gotten away from him.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter about his new King adaptation "The Life of Chuck," Flanagan was asked if there was a project that he felt was "the one that got away." He was quick to cite his planned adaptation of King's 2014 novel "Revival," which he wrote a script for before the project ultimately fell apart. Here's what he had to say about it:

"I wrote a script for Stephen King's 'Revival,' one of my favorite things I've ever written, but it fell apart. That's gone now because I have 'The 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."

As he mentions, Flanagan is currently working on a TV adaptation of King's sprawling "The Dark Tower" book series. King already let him have the rights to two properties at once. As a result, Flanagan couldn't squat on the rights to "Revival" as well. Hence, even though he's got the script, the project is dead in the water ... for now at least.

What is Revival about, exactly?

For those who may not be familiar with the material, "Revival" is widely considered to be one of King's finer works of his later years. There are those who even put it amongst the best things he's ever done. While I'm not a King completionist by any means, it is right near the top of my personal favorites of his. It similarly feels unwieldy as adaptable material, but that hasn't stopped Flanagan before. So, what is it about, exactly? Here is the somewhat lengthy official synopsis for the book:

In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs — including Jamie's mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.
Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of 13, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family's horrific loss. In his mid-thirties — addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate — Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil's devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.

Not to spoil it for potential readers but the book goes to some dark places. It's equal parts deeply compelling and under-your-skin horrifying. Back in 2020, Flanagan and producer Trevor Macy signed a deal with Warner Bros. to bring "Revival" to the screen. Unfortunately, the project fell apart not too long after. Flanagan moved onto other things, such as "The Fall of the House of Usher," and King's book remains unadapted.

Could Mike Flanagan circle back around to Revival?

The question now is, could Flanagan's adaptation of "Revival" come around again at some point? "The Life of Chuck" is in the can and has earned a lot of praise while making the festival rounds. That means he's not sitting on two King properties anymore, with "The Dark Tower" slowly coming together behind the scenes. Once that is done or, heaven forbid, it falls apart somewhere along the way, Flanagan could conceivably circle back around to this one down the road, assuming nobody beats him to it.

Let's not forget that King adaptations are wildly popular right now. Plus, Flanagan isn't the only one who tried to make "Revival" into a movie. Josh Boone ("The New Mutants") pursued the film at one point, even casting Russell Crowe as Charles Jacobs. That version fell apart too, but the point is that others see the value in the material. It wouldn't be shocking if someone else comes along again to try and make it happen.

Meanwhile, Flanagan is busy with his new "Exorcist" movie, which is due to hit theaters in 2026. Once that's done, he'll presumably go full-steam ahead on "Dark Tower." All of this to say, it doesn't seem overly likely that his version of "Revival" will come to pass. At the very least, it wouldn't happen any time remotely soon. Still, stranger things have happened and the passion for the material is there. The script is done. It's not impossible that this one could come back around in a couple of years.