Revival: Why Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King Adaptation Was Canceled

In 2017, Flanagan’s Netflix original movie Gerald’s Game premiered with incredibly positive reviews. Flanagan then went on to direct King’s sequel to his iconic 1977 novel, The Shining, called Doctor Sleep. The 2019 adaptation starred Ewan McGregor as an adult Danny Torrance. As the director continued to find success in the horror genre with The Haunting Of Hill House and his follow-up series, The Haunting Of Bly Manor, Flanagan quickly proved himself to be a virtuoso of the craft. In 2020, news began to spread that he intended on adapting King’s 2014 novel, Revival, next. However, it wasn’t long after that Flanagan announced they had to abandon the project since it didn’t receive the green light from the production company.

Despite the fact that King’s movies continue to prove themselves as some of the most popular and lucrative in the horror genre, Revival may never see the light of day. This could be based on a variety of factors that pertain to the current horror market as well as what’s popular in the genre in 2021 or projected to be in upcoming years. But, as is common with movies that contain so many moving parts, it needed a lot of money, which was ultimately its downfall. Even so, the project has been shelved before; it’s possible Revival could get another chance in the future, though perhaps not from Flanagan.

Mike Flanagan isn’t the first director who has taken on the task of attempting to adapt Revival. In 2016, Josh Boone, who co-developed CBS’s The Stand series with Benjamin Cavell, wrote his own script for the movie and intended on directing it. Later that year, he announced that Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind) was set to star. While concept art had been created and everything seemed to fall into place, Boone’s version of Revival never entered production. In 2020, Flanagan wrote a new script – which was approved by King – and had every intention of making the project an actuality.

During The Stand-focused podcast, The Company Of The Mad, Flanagan confirmed that his version of Revival wouldn’t reach production either, stating that he “stepped on the same landmine” as Boone. Flanagan explained that it was an expensive project, which isn’t at all surprising considering the storyboard for the 2016 version. Revival features Lovecraftian elements and creatures alongside King’s signature horrors, which likely required a large special effects budget. It can only be speculated that the money needed to green light the movie was so immense that the risk outweighed the possible reward. Lovecraftian horror has increased in popularity in recent years, and King has remained relevant in the genre for over 40 years, so it would seem that 2020 would be the perfect moment for Revival to enter production. However, that doesn’t necessarily matter if the money to make it isn’t available.

Regardless, it’s likely Flanagan will still take on another King project – even if it’s not Revival – as he has had immense success adapting his stories in the past. It’s even possible that Flanagan could return to the project in the future. Ultimately, the finances needed to make Revival happen have caused it to be shelved for the time being, but that doesn’t mean it’ll never happen — the project just needs the green light, money, and the right moment to become a reality at long last.

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