Senior Film and Media Reporter

Tom Hiddleston had to learn to move and groove to play Charles “Chuck” Krantz in “The Life of Chuck,” a feel-good apocalyptic tale (yes, they exist!) premiering Friday at the Toronto Film Festival.

Inspired by Stephen King’s 2020 novella of the same name and directed by Mike Flanagan of “The Haunting of Hill House,” “The Life of Chuck” is billed as a “life-affirming” tale of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz. It’s set against the backdrop of a world slowly crumbling to pieces. But there are no tidal waves or fiery infernos heralding Armageddon. It’s the rare King text that’s more about people than ghosts and demonic figures. Think “Shawshank Redemption” and “Stand By Me” instead of “It” or “Pet Sematary.”

Hiddleston, best known for his role as the mischievous Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, plays the titular Chuck, an inhibited accountant whose life is shrouded in mystery. One unremarkable day that unfolds midway through the film, he spots a street drummer while walking back from a banking conference — and is compelled to put down his briefcase and start bouncing to the beat. In preparation for the extended sequence, Hiddleston took a six-week crash course in learning everything from jazz, swing, polka, samba, and cha-cha to how to quickstep and moonwalk.