Writer/director Mike Flanagan is tackling yet another iconic Stephen King property. And unlike some of his others, like Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game, this one might prove a bit controversial. According to a report from Deadline, Warner Bros. is remaking The Mist, King’s 1980 novella that became a beloved film by Frank Darabont back in 2007. So the new movie will come out barely two decades after the first one. Darabont’s version of The Mist remains beloved by fans and critics, especially for its shocking and uncompromising ending. King fans are probably wondering why this needs another remake. A TV series adaptation already came out in 2017. Maybe this story is just destined for a remake once a decade?
In The Mist, a small town in Maine (where else?) becomes fully engulfed by a thick fog. Out of this strange fog come several deadly creatures that begin attacking the local townsfolk. A group of survivors finds refuge in a grocery store. And this is where the true horror story begins. Quickly, we learn the human beings inside are as bad, if not worse, than any otherworldly monsters looking to kill them. It is a timeless story, for good or bad. But can Mike Flanagan really outdo the original film?
There were theories that elements of It: Welcome to Derry would tie into The Mist, but those theories proved wrong. Perhaps the Welcome to Derry producers caught wind of a remake of The Mist in development, and steered clear? Who knows. There’s no word yet on when The Mist goes into production, but it might be a minute, as Mike Flanagan has several other projects in the works. He’s currently attempting to remake King’s first novel, Carrie, into a mini-series. But every other version of Carrie has been a disappointment in some way, because Brian De Palma’s 1976 original is an all-time classic. Will the same reaction befall a new iteration of The Mist? We’ll have to wait and see.