From adaptations of his own books to TV shows like The Simpsons and Frasier, Stephen King has a substantial number of on-screen appearances and cameos. Some of them are extremely memorable (like the opening of Maximum Overdrive where an ATM machine calls him an “asshole”), and some are crazy brief (like a shot of him throwing a ceremonial toss in the Boston Red Sox comedy Fever Pitch). For an author, he has a fair amount of acting experience – but if an actor were to be picked to play King, who would it be?
Stephen King’s personal answer to that interesting question is the subject matter that serves as the lead story of this week’s edition of The King Beat, and it should give Mike Flanagan something to think about as he continues to develop his Dark Tower series. But that’s not all I have for you in this week’s roundup of King news, as there’s also a great Life Of Chuck Easter egg that has been revealed that connects the movie to the epic that is Doctor Sleep and a preview of The End Of The World As We Know It: the upcoming collection of short stories set in the world of The Stand. There’s a lot to go over, so let’s dig in!
When It Comes To Casting Stephen King For Mike Flanagan’s Dark Tower Series, The Author Himself Just Pitched A Potentially Great Pick
Many, many movies and TV shows based on the imagination of Stephen King have been made in the last five decades, with many stories taking direct inspiration from the author’s life (Stand By Me and the series Kingdom Hospital most readily springing to mind), but could we ever see a biopic that centers on King himself? Such a project does not exist, but if the idea does ever start gaining any momentum in Hollywood, there is an actor whom the writer would like to see play him in his current phase of life: Kyle MacLachlan.
The Guardian has published an article that has Stephen King answering a wide variety of questions submitted by fans, and amid subjects such as his dreams and whether or not Dark Tower hero Roland Deschain wears a hat is a query about who would play him in a film about his life. Instead of naming a young star who could portray him in his younger years, King focuses on the present chapter of his life and suggests that the great star of Twin Peaks would be a proper fit for the part:
I would love to have a good-looking leading man, but I don’t think Brad Pitt would do it. He is a lot better-looking than me. I’m a little bit on the elderly side now, so I’d say maybe Christopher Lloyd or – who’s the guy in Twin Peaks, the main tall guy? Kyle MacLachlan.
MacLachlan is 11 years younger than King and he isn’t quite as tall (he is 6’0”, compared to King’s 6’4” stature), but they do have similar body types, and it’s easy to imagine an effective transformation with the application of some good makeup and the right pair of glasses. It’s an intriguing choice… and one to which writer/director Mike Flanagan may want to pay attention.
While a Stephen King biopic isn’t currently in the works, Flanagan is currently developing an adaptation of the Dark Tower series, and King himself becomes a character in that epic in the latter books. MacLachlan wouldn’t be a good fit to play the young King featured in the story who first gets the inspiration to write the story of hero Roland Deschain – but could the 66 year old actor perhaps play the 52-year-old version of the writer who nearly loses his life when he gets hit by a van while out for a walk on the side of a highway? It might be tricky given how much development is left ahead for the TV project, but I certainly wouldn’t object to the idea.
Mike Flanagan Has Revealed A Super Cool Easter Egg Link Between The Life Of Chuck And Doctor Sleep
Released in theaters this summer following its premiere late last year at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Life Of Chuck is a movie that is very much a change of pace for Mike Flanagan. While the filmmaker has long been a dedicated contributor to the horror genre, from Hush to Gerald’s Game to the Netflix series The Haunting Of Hill House, his latest Stephen King adaptation is more in the spirit of The Shawshank Redemption than The Shining, as the work is a life-affirming drama that is filled with love and sadness instead of fear. That being said, the filmmaker has continued his tradition of loading up his works with special Easter eggs, and one that was just revealed and confirmed this past week is super cool.
Stephen King fans everywhere can now enjoy The Life Of Chuck from the comfort of their own homes, as the Neon release is available for digital rental and purchase, and Mike Flanagan has been using his social media accounts to share reactions and answer questions about the movie. Taking notice of something interesting in the film’s second section, titled “Buskers Forever,” one fan asked on Bluesky if a hat belonging to drummer Taylor Franck (played by Taylor Gordon) is the same one that is worn by Rebecca Ferguson’s Rose The Hat in Doctor Sleep, and the filmmaker responded in the affirmative with a three word response:
It is indeed. :)
It probably goes without saying that I absolutely love this. It may be the case that The Life Of Chuck is the first Mike Flanagan project since Oculus not to feature the terrifying and haunted Lasser Glass, but just because the film isn’t horror doesn’t mean that the filmmaker totally turned off his appreciation for Easter eggs in the making of the movie. In the drama, Taylor Franck uses a short top hat to collect tips as she drums for strangers on the street, and one can totally be excused for not recognizing it as the special headgear from Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep.
Of course, the hat isn’t the only special nod to fans that is included in the 2025 Stephen King movie. If you pay attention to the background during “Buskers Forever,” for example, you’ll notice a cherry red 1958 Plymouth Fury rolling around (the same model of car that inspired Christine), and there are also fun cameos made by Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler (RIP), the co-hosts of the popular podcast The Kingcast.
Should you care to try and do some of your own Easter egg hunting, The Life Of Chuck is now available from all major online retailers – including Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Fandango At Home and Apple. And for those of you who are like me and are dedicated physical media collectors, the film can be pre-ordered on 4K UHD and Blu-ray ahead of its September 30 release date.
The End Of The World As We Know It: New Tales Of Stephen King’s The Stand Arrives In Stores This Month, And An Excerpt Is Now Here For Your Reading Pleasure
It was nearly a half-century ago that Stephen King first introduced his Constant Readers to the world of The Stand, and the work’s pop culture endurance is a proper reflection of the stunning work. Authored as King’s American answer to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings, it is a tome that wows with its vast scope, spectacular collection of characters, and epic battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. Since the book’s publication, it has been adapted as a miniseries twice and as a Marvel comic, but we’re now on the cusp of getting an extension of the canon that is arguably even more exciting than those projects: the new short story collection The End Of The World As We Know It: New Tales Of Stephen King’s The Stand.
I’ve been writing about the upcoming omnibus from editors Brian Keene and Christopher Golden since late 2003 when the literary project first got the seal of approval from Stephen King, and now it is almost here – set to arrive in stores everywhere next Tuesday. The book includes contributions from a number of talented writers and celebrities, including Paul Tremblay, Richard Chizmar, Joe R. Lansdale, Scott Ian, Alma Katsu, Josh Malerman, Wayne Brady and Tananarive Due, and one of the most exciting things about it is that it will offer in-canon insight regarding what happened outside of the United States during the outbreak of the deadly respiratory disease best known as Captain Trips.
One of these stories, written by author Tim Lebbon, is actually set in outer space, and if you’re not yet totally sold on getting the upcoming book, you can get a taste of the work via an excerpt that has been published by People (in both text and audiobook form). Titled “Grace,” the tale follows the adventures of the titular protagonist, who is stationed on the space shuttle Discovery while all of life on Earth is being wiped out by a pandemic.
The End Of The World As We Know It will officially be available on August 19, and you can put in a pre-order now for hardcover, audiobook and eBook options.
That wraps up this week’s edition of The King Beat, and it has hopefully satiated your desire for all of the latest Stephen King-related updates. But if you can already feel your hunger starting to grow again, the good news is that I’ll be back here on CinemaBlend next Thursday with another new edition of this column and a whole new collection of headlines. Stay tuned for that and more of our King coverage here on the site, and to learn about all of the author’s adaptations that are currently in development, check out our Upcoming Stephen King Movies and TV guide.
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