Mike Flanagan Teases Familiar Faces In His Dark Tower & Exorcist Projects, Explains Casting Process

Horror director Mike Flanagan has teased the potential for several familiar faces to appear in his upcoming Dark Tower, Carrie, and The Exorcist projects. Having previously concluded an exclusive five-year development deal with Netflix following the release of 2023’s The Fall of the House of Usher, his time spent with the streamer would come to be characterized by his list of frequent collaborators. Dubbed the “FlanaFam” by Flanagan’s wife and most frequent collaborator Kate Siegel, the director’s other regular faces have included the likes of Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, and Bruce Greenwood.

Speaking with CinemaBlend about his forthcoming projects, Flanagan was asked whether audiences could expect to see any more appearances from his extensive list of regular collaborators. Admitting that while he already has plans to approach actors for certain roles, he has yet to reveal his plans. Despite explaining that he wishes to avoid getting actors’ hopes up before he can make any formal offers, Flanagan also admits that he does occasionally slip up and reveal his casting ideas, especially when it comes to Siegel, who always knows the full scope of his plans. Check out his comments below:

I have not told anyone my plans because the last thing I want to do is get actors hoping or expecting things before I can tell them that it’s… My favorite version of things is to go to an actor and say, ‘This is what I see for you, and here’s an offer to do it.’ If I can’t do that, then I don’t; I try not to say anything.

I’m not perfect at that. Because sometimes I slip up, especially with Kate, who’s, I mean, she’s just so close to the whole process. She knows what I’m thinking for everybody. So I guess I have told, yeah, Kate Siegel knows my plans. She knows where I see [things], and she’s there when it changes and when it swings. And she’s always aware of it.

Occasionally I’ve mentioned to like Sam Sloyan or to Rahul Kohli, ‘Hey, I’d love this for you, but I don’t know if I can guarantee it.’ But in general, I try not to promise things I can’t deliver. But I have a grid of kind of my actors that have names scribbled next to them for The Exorcist, for Carrie, and for Dark Tower. And that’s always really fun. I just never want them to see the grid too early.

What Flanagan’s Casting Decisions Mean For His Upcoming Projects

Flanagan’s Work Now Seems Inseperable From His “FlanaFam”

The revelation that Flanagan is already considering some of his regular collaborators for roles in his forthcoming Dark Tower, Carrie, and The Exorcist projects probably comes as little surprise to viewers familiar with his work. Not only has Siegel been directly involved in every movie and television show Flanagan has made since 2013’s Oculus,many of his other stars also boast a long history with the director that long predates The Haunting of Hill House and his other Netflix shows.

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Every Upcoming Mike Flanagan Movie & TV Show

After departing from Netflix to Amazon, Mike Flanagan is currently slated to helm four upcoming horror projects including a new Exorcist movie.

Similarly, his first project following his departure from Netflix, the movie adaptation of the Stephen King short story The Life of Chuck, also sees the return of several key members of the “Flanafam,” including one of the group’s most recent additions, Star Wars icon Mark Hamill, who previously worked with Flanagan on Fall of the House of Usher. As such, Flanagan’s work has now become inseparable from his ever-growing troupe of performers, and any project without at least some recognizable faces would probably suffer greatly from their absence.

Our Take On Who Flanagan Will Cast Next

Flanagan Is Also Known For Bringing In New Actors For Key Roles

The Fall of the House of Usher characters in a courtroom

Flanagan is far from the first filmmaker to establish a recognizable list of frequent collaborators, and even the original Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock, was well known for working with his own collection of regular stars like Cary Grant, James Stewart, Ingrid Bergman, and Grace Kelly. However, much like Hitchcock, Flanagan is also known for bringing new faces into the fold to suit the demands of each role, such as his most recent leading actor, Tom Hiddleston in The Life of Chuck.

As such, viewers can probably rest easy knowing that despite his propensity for casting familiar faces, Flanagan will not only offer them roles suited to their talents, but he will also look further afield if necessary. As such, viewers should probably not expect to see actors like Thomas or Kohli become the first choice for central Dark Tower characters like the Gunslinger Roland Deschain, or the iconic King villain Randall Flagg. Nonetheless, his next projects would not feel like one of Flanagan’s productions without at least some recognizable names.

Source: CinemaBlend