The Life of Chuck hits theaters today, and while reactions are still coming in, one thing’s already clear: This isn’t your average Stephen King adaptation.

A couple of weeks ago,I was lucky enough to attend an early screening followed by a Q&A with writer-director Mike Flanagan and stars Tom Hiddleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The conversation was insightful and heartfelt. Over and over, the panel returned to the idea of hope. Of love. Of telling a story that resists cynicism and leans into joy, even against a backdrop of grief and uncertainty.

Below is the full Q&A, which I captured during the event. If you’ve seen the movie, it adds rich context to what Flanagan and King are doing here. If you haven’t, it’s a great primer for what to expect beyond the marketing.

📺 Watch the full Q&A:

Key Moments to Jump To:

• 00:00 – Tom Hiddleston on playing Chuck and why the story moved him
• 01:30 – Chiwetel Ejiofor on emotional honesty and post-COVID resonance
• 02:50 – Hiddleston on ensemble cast and the theme of “every ordinary life is magic”
• 05:14 – Flanagan on casting Matthew Lillard and building the ensemble
• 07:48 – Flanagan on needing “unapologetically hopeful” stories
• 12:06 – Hiddleston on collaboration and his dance sequence
• 14:11 – Ejiofor on working with Karen Gillan and building emotional depth
• 18:00 – Flanagan on It’s a Wonderful Life as inspiration
• 20:24 – Flanagan and Hiddleston on King’s humanism and emotional weight

If you want a deeper dive into the film itself, you can read my full review here.

In a media landscape obsessed with snark and edge, The Life of Chuck dares to be earnest and hopeful. And in this Q&A, you can see how that sincerity shaped every part of its creation.