Mike Flanagan Says His THE MIST Remake Will Be Completely Different: “The Differences Start Page 1”
Mike Flanagan has enough horror projects cooking right now to make you wonder when the guy actually sleeps. His Carrie series is headed to Prime Video, he’s currently making a new The Exorcist movie, and somewhere in that schedule he’s also writing a new adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist.
If you’re wondering why we need another version after Frank Darabont’s excellent 2007 film, Flanagan has already asked himself the same question. His answer is pretty simple: he wouldn’t be making it if he didn’t have something different in mind.
Speaking with Collider about his new take on The Mist, Flanagan made it clear that his script won’t simply reshuffle what Darabont already did. "The differences start page 1. I'm writing it now," he said.
Flanagan also addressed the project on Bluesky, where he explained why he was interested in returning to King’s monster-filled nightmare in the first place.
"The Mist is going to be great," he promised. "If there wasn’t an excellent answer to 'why', I wouldn’t do it."
Darabont’s The Mist has developed a strong following since its 2007 release, with its famously brutal ending remaining one of the movie’s defining elements. Flanagan isn’t trying to replace that film or recreate it.
"I love Darabont's film, and there's zero point in remaking it. Which is why I'm going in a different direction."
Flanagan knows comparisons are coming regardless. He’s already spent plenty of time playing in the worlds of Stephen King, including Doctor Sleep, which had the particularly tricky job of following Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining while also adapting King’s novel.
When a fan asked whether the inevitable arguments surrounding a new version of The Mist concerned him, Flanagan explained that he stopped trying to anticipate fan reactions a long time ago.
"I learned a long ago never to try to predict what the fans will or won't argue about (everybody needs to relax, frankly; I just saw a whole chain of people foaming at the mouth over fan-made AI slop posters for The Exorcist)... but yeah, this isn't a retread. The differences start page 1."
What those differences actually are remains a mystery. Flanagan is still writing the screenplay, so it could be some time before we find out exactly what direction he’s taking King’s story.
Considering how specifically he keeps stressing that this won’t follow Darabont’s path, though, it sounds like audiences familiar with the 2007 movie shouldn’t assume they know what’s waiting inside the fog. I imagine he’s developing a completely new story with new characters set during the events of King’s novel.
Before The Mist rolls in, Flanagan has plenty else on his plate. His Carrie series premieres on Prime Video on October 9, while his new The Exorcist film is currently in production.