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If you're a fan of Mike Flanagan, you likely know of the self-proclaimed "Flavengers," that is, the actors that frequently appear in his projects. One of those Flavengers is Watchmen and Spy Kids star Carla Gugino, who you may know first started working with the director on the Stephen King adaptation, Gerald's Game. But what yo might not know, and what he himself will readily tell you, is that Mike Flanagan actually credits the movie's existence to Gugino. Let us explain.

Both Flanagan and Gugino were on New York Comic Con 2024's Fall of the House of Usher panel, which covered not just the titular show, but everything that Flanagan and his cast of regulars have worked on. At one point, moderator and Happy Sad Confused host Josh Horowitz brought up the 2017 movie that brought Flanagan and Gugino together, and the former began singing the latter's praises immediately.

"Carla saved us," Flanagan began, "she saved the movie, she saved the cast and the crew. It wasn't just because she came in and took the part and ran with it - Carla showed up and took a crew that was panicked because we thought the movie might not happen, that were incredibly stressed about throwing this new unknown element into the mix so quickly." 

How quickly? According to Gugino, "From the moment that I read the script to the moment we were filming the first shot was two weeks, all in." Now, I'm no moviemaker, but that sounds like a pretty quick turnaround.

Flanagan continues, "[Star Bruce Greenwood] was like, 'This is someone I don't have a previous relationship with, this is someone I have to get to know right away. How is this going to work?' But Carla came in and took everybody's anxiety and wiped it right away on her first rehearsal day. Everyone relaxed and calmed down and Carla very much took up a leadership position in the movie."

"It was an incredible experience," Gugino said, "that was incredibly challenging and it was one of the most joyous times I've had on set. It was a crazy entry, we definitely had to jump in, full-force, together."

"I knew the first week," Flanagan concludes, "That I wanted to work with this person forever. And thus far, we have."

We couldn't be happier about it, Mike. Now, can you please tell us who's Carla going to be in The Dark Tower?

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