Mike Flanagan, the beloved filmmaker behind The Haunting of Hill House and Doctor Sleep, is returning to the world of Stephen King. As part of Flanagan’s overall deal with Amazon Studios, the director is developing an epic series based on The Dark Tower. Before then, Flanagan is tackling another classic King story with a new adaptation of Carrie.
As reported by Deadline, Flanagan has signed a deal to make an eight-episode Carrie series for Amazon Studios. King’s book was previously adapted in 1976 by Brian De Palma, and it’s widely considered one of the best horror films of all time. Then, in 2002, the book was adapted into a TV film written by future Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller, which didn’t earn very good reviews (to put it mildly). In 2013, Carrie was completely rebooted by Kimberly Peirce as a feature film starring Chloë Grace Moretz; that film was almost immediately forgotten. Ironically, the most notable of these later adaptations was a sequel called The Rage: Carrie 2, which modernized the storyline and had some mixed reviews upon release.
Carrie tells the story of a shy outcast named Carrie White. A victim of severe bullying, Carrie’s ordeal starts at home, where her extremely religious mother, Margaret, subjects her to orthodox religious practices that border on torture. But Carrie holds a secret, one that becomes almost uncontrollable after she reaches puberty. When her classmates plan a horrific prank for prom night, they will meet the real Carrie: a victim of abuse whose telekinetic powers will prove to be deadly for the small Maine town.
The announcement joins other upcoming Stephen King adaptations, which include (for now) The Long Walk from The Hunger Games vet Francis Lawrence, The Institute from Jack Bender, and The Running Man from Edgar Wright.
Mike Flanagan Keeps Proving Why He’s the Best at Adapting Stephen King
So far, Flanagan has adapted three major Stephen King books, all of which received largely positive reactions from critics and audiences alike. Perhaps his films don’t make tons of money, but Flanagan has proven he’s got what it takes to bring what was deemed impossible at some point to the big screen. Flanagan’s King adaptations include:
- Gerald’s Game (2017), the disturbing adaptation of King’s novel of the same name that many thought was impossible to make and is actually one of Flanagan’s best works.
- Doctor Sleep (2019), the groundbreaking sequel to The Shining that brought together King’s vision with Stanley Kubrick’s classic, and which the author actually liked.
- The Life of Chuck (2024), the most recent adaptation that got rave reviews at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, and is yet to be released in theaters.
And now Carrie. It seems like an odd pick when considering the King novels that have yet to be adapted, but by this point, anything Flanagan does in the King-verse is a source of excitement. Flanagan is also adapting a new sequel to The Exorcist, which is set to be released in March 2026.
Now, the big question remains: When will Mike Flanagan be able to bring his vision of King’s magnum opus The Dark Tower to the small screen? It’s possible that his limited series adaptation of Carrie is a test run of sorts for the folks at Amazon, and that it won’t be much longer before Flanagan enters production on his most ambitious King adaptation yet.
- Release Date
- November 16, 1976
- Main Genre
- Horror