Missouri Meets Marvel in THIS NEW Stephen King Adaptation!

THIS British actor is meeting the titian tressed actress from Missouri in a book adapted film! Tom Hiddleston isn’t just making a big return to the big screen for the most recently announced Avengers: Doomsday, but he’s coming back even sooner to fans for The Life of Chuck! And he’ll be joined alongside none other than Snowpiercer’s Annalise Basso!

Squeamish movie goers (I’ll confess- like me) don’t have to bring mint gum to prepare for the nausea Stephen King’s adaptations usually bring. Unlike It and The Monkey, The Life of Chuck isn’t a horror film, but rather a drama based off of one of King’s legendary works. Tom Hiddleston’s character, Charles Krantz, but called Chuck, is terminally ill. While seemingly an ordinary man, this film will delve into how really, in this tale, Chuck’s life wasn’t so ordinary. 

The Life of Chuck (NEON)

Tom Hiddleston is best known as Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and for his return for Avengers: Doomsday out of 27 actors, Hiddleston’s was at the top for causing the most uproar. It doesn’t take much to find many reactions on social media to the livestream Marvel hosted, articles printed, posts on X and more to see that fans of the God of mischief were happy to have him back. Yet The Life of Chuck will prove Hiddleston’s range. Dedicated to his part as the main role of the film, he took a 6 week course in just about every dance style! Jazz, polka, swing, samba, cha-cha, the moonwalk, and even the quickstep! “Bossa Nova is a technical thing that took my hips a minute to get my head around. Polka is like a 100-meter sprint. It feels like a gallop.” He recalled in an interview with Variety at TIFF 2024

And one of his dance partners? Is none other than Missouri born child actress Annalise Basso. As the youngest of 3, she’s been in the biz since the age of 8. As Basso became an established young actress, she got to work alongside filmmaker Mike Flanagan, for his film Oculus, that helped launch his successful career. So going all the way back to 2012, Basso never lost touch with him, which led her to be in personal dance training alongside Hiddleston in London. Where Missouri met Marvel. Annalise Basso’s role is crucial in this film. While her introduction as Janice Holliday is relatable, as per TIFF reviews she’s seen getting a breakup text (awful, but at least it was that and not ghosting?), she’s part of the most important part of the film: the big dance sequence. Hiddleston had six weeks of training for himself, but the pair practiced for months for a key dance sequence. And these scenes normally are shot in segments, but this duo? This duo shot the choreography in full, per Mike Flanagan’s vision. 

The Life of Chuck (NEON)

Annalise Basso also shared in an interview with Cinemablend that both her and Hiddleston aren’t professional dancers, but are very passionate about the art. The pair got along well, especially due to Hiddleston’s humility. "Tom in between dance sequences, dancing for like 14 hours a day would introduce himself to the background actors and be like ‘Hi, nice to meet you. What’s your name? Thank you so much for being here." Basso said in an interview with Cinemablend. “And the grace that poured out of him was just incredible to watch.”

Basso is an actress that should be highlighted properly alongside Hiddleston when even more promo for the film comes out. Her humble roots have led her to have a heart in the industry that’s rare to see. Especially for partaking in a film on the topic of something as delicate as terminal illness, her grace and poignant perspectives over the years will contribute well to the press for The Life of Chuck, and already have in a few interviews. If anyone is deserving to work alongside the greats like Tom Hiddleston, Karen Gillian, Mark Hamill, Matthew Lillard, it’s Annalise Basso: because it’s clear she’s establishing herself as one of the greats as well. And better yet, alongside two Marvel actors, Gillian included. 

While TIFF goers have already gotten to see the magic between these two, the whole world has yet to see their chemistry through dance. It will be interesting to see the reactions to the Missouri and Marvel magic that happens in this movie. But it will be undoubtedly sensational, with Hiddleston and Basso paired for a monumental scene! 

The Life of Chuck releases June 6th of this

 year across theaters!