What Do We Know About the upcoming series adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Carrie? More than you may think. The Prime Video series from The Life of Chuck and The Haunting of Hill House filmmaker Mike Flanagan is set to be his fourth take on a work by King. From plot, casting news, and more, let’s dive in and look at what is coming up in the adaptation of the classic horror novel.
Why another remake of Carrie?
Despite Brian De Palma’s 1976 adaptation remaining a classic horror film, multiple variations of Stephen King’s debut novel have made their way to audiences. From a sequel in 1999 to remakes in both 2002 and 2013, as well as a stage musical, Flanagan’s series takes a “bold and timely reimagining” of the book. What this entails remains to be seen. But, we do know that Flanagan has a reverence for Stephen King that either means faithfulness to the source material, is in the adaptations of The Life of Chuck and Gerald’s Game, or a bold blend of King’s writing and the cinematic adaptation, as we saw with Doctor Sleep.
The official synopsis has been revealed, but it doesn’t share much.
The logline, which could change as the series approaches hitting screens, is vague about new details but may hint at what we can expect. The synopsis reads, “A bold and timely reimagining of the story of misfit high-schooler Carrie White, who has spent her life in seclusion with her domineering mother. After her father’s sudden and untimely death, Carrie finds herself contending with the alien landscape of public High School, a bullying scandal that shatters her community, and the emergence of mysterious telekinetic powers.” Flanagan is know for taking classic works including The Haunting of Hill House, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, and The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe and giving them fresh takes that are set in the modern day while sticking close to the source material. The same could be said about Carrie getting a 21st-century update.
Mike Flanagan will produce, write, and direct some of the series.
Flanagan is a jack of all trades on his projects, but is not shy when sharing the heavy lifting behind the scenes. Flanagan’s long-term producing partner, Trevor Macy, will be on board to shepherd Carrie. The director has helmed all episodes of two of his shows, Hill House and Midnight Mass, with shared duties on his other three shows. Flanagan’s frequent writing partners, Liz Phang, Jeff Howard, Rebecca Klingel, Elan Gale, Dani Parker, Leah Fong, Julia Bicknell, and his brother James Flanagan, alongside directors Ciaran Foy, Michael Fimognari, Axelle Carolyn, and Viet Nguyen could all share duties on the new Carrie.
The cast features Flanagan all-stars and newcomers.
Summer H. Howell is set to play Carrie White, with Flanagan’s frequent star Samantha Sloyan taking on the iconic role of religious mother Margaret White. Matthew Lillard will play Principal Grayle, reuniting with his The Life of Chuck director. Prey’s Amber Midthunder will play Miss Desjardin, with Siena Agudong playing Sue Snell. The cast will include Alison Thornton as teen bully Chris Hargensen, Thalia Dudek as Emaline, Josie Totah as Tina, Arthur Conti as Billy, and Joel Oulette as Tommy, Carrie’s date to the prom. Flanagan will also bring back his wife Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Katee Sackhoff, Rahul Kohli, Crystal Balint, and Danielle Klaudt, as well as Heather Graham, Tim Bagley, Tahmoh Pinkett, Mapuana Makia, Rowan Danielle, Naika Toussaint, Delainey Hayles, and Cassandra Naud in undisclosed roles.
The series will be comprised of eight episodes.
Carrie is one of Stephen King’s shortest novels, and it is told in an epistolary style, using letters and news reports rather than a direct narrative. It is unclear how Mike Flanagan will structure the new series and whether he will employ a unique point of view to tell the story or keep a straightforward narrative. We know he is holding the series to a tight eight episodes, which means we will get a substantial story spread across enough space to tell the whole tale with some potential for new perspectives, characters, and connections to other Stephen King tales.
What else do we know?
As the project comes together, we know Flanagan’s long-term deal with Amazon means he will have the budget to tell this story properly. Flanagan also has become close with Stephen King, who has given his blessing to all of the filmmakers’ adaptations to date, including Flanagan’s adjustments to Doctor Sleep to align with Stanley Kubrick’s film The Shining, an adaptation King has frequently decried.
When will we see it?
While the final casting is underway, the series is expected to begin filming in Summer 2025, which likely means we will not see the series until early 2026. Mike Flanagan has stayed close to the projects he works on, even when he is not the sole director involved. He has already indicated that his next project is his announced sequel to The Exorcist. His long-awaited take on Stephen King’s The Dark Tower is still in the early stages, so he will focus on Carrie to ensure it meets his exacting standards.
Stay tuned to JoBlo.com as we learn more about Carrie and your favorite shows. What do you expect to see in the upcoming reimagining of Carrie? Let us know in the comments, and click the like and subscribe to follow all our latest original videos.
