Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King Streak Continues with 'The Mist' Adaptation

Horror's beloved writer/director Mike Flanagan is diving into The Mist.

The director has signed on to write and direct a new adaptation of Stephen King's novella for Warner Bros., according to Deadline.

This marks Flanagan's fifth King project. He's already adapted Gerald's Game, Doctor Sleep , The Life of Chuck, and last year, his Carrie limited series was announced at his new home, Prime Video. He's also working on an adaptation of The Dark Tower series for Amazon. So his plate is pretty full of Stephen King.

Flanagan is no stranger to longstanding creative partnerships. When he finds actors he likes, for instance, they tend to pop up in everything he does. (You can play "spot Henry Thomas" with most of his work.)

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What Is __The Mist About?

The Mist follows a group of people trapped in a supermarket. Artist David Drayton and his young son, Billy, find themselves stuck in the small town of Bridgton, Maine, when the creepy fog rolls in. Soon, they learn the mist conceals terrifying creatures ranging from massive tentacles to insect-like monsters.

But the real terror builds inside the store. A religious zealot named Mrs. Carmody begins converting frightened survivors into believers, convincing them that the mist represents God's wrath and that human sacrifice is the only path to salvation. As resources dwindle and hope fades, more people fall under her influence.

The story becomes as much about the collapse of social order and the dangers of fanaticism as it is about the monsters lurking outside. And that should sound familiar, if you're a Flanagan fan. Midnight Mass explored something very similar, only the monsters were vampires in an island community.

King's 1980 novella was adapted by Frank Darabont in 2007, and the film is known for its devastatingly dark ending.

As Gizmodo points out, that version set a high bar for any future adaptation.

Flanagan and King

Flanagan's track record with King material suggests he'll bring his characteristic approach to the project. He loves a good ensemble cast in a uniquely horrific situation, often opting to put his characters in slow-burn settings where they can wax philosophically about life and choices and everything in between.

That's a good fit for The Mist , which is essentially a pressure-cooker character-driven story about strangers forced together as fear builds and a tenuous social order collapses.

No release date or casting announcements have been made yet, but we bet we'll see some familiar Flanagan faces.

With Flanagan's other King projects still in various stages of production, it's unclear when this adaptation will move forward.

For more on Flanagan's approach to horror, check out our breakdown of his best work and his collaboration with producer Trevor Macy on Doctor Sleep.