Who better to adapt a Stephen King novel than one of the most prominent horror creators working today?
Per Deadline, Mike Flanagan will develop a television adaptation of King’s 1974 novel Carrie. Flanagan will adapt the book into an eight-episode series for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Flanagan and Trevor Macy will executive produce the project through Intrepid Pictures.
Released in 1974, Carrie follows the titular Carrie, a high school teenager who lives with her overprotective mother. Carrie has no friends, and she’s constantly bullied at school. However, Carrie eventually discovers her telekinesis powers and uses them against her bullies after a prank goes horribly wrong.
Carrie was famously adapted by Brian De Palma in 1976, with Sissy Spacek playing the title character. Carrie also starred John Travolta, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, Nancy Allen, and Betty Buckley. The film became a commercial and critical success, with Spacek and Laurie receiving Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. De Palma’s Carrie is widely considered one of the most influential horrors of all time.
The success of Carrie spawned a sequel, 1999’s The Rage: Carrie 2, a 2013 remake starring Chloë Grace Moretz, and a 2002 television film.
Carrie is another addition to Flanagan’s growing list of King adaptations. Flanagan wrote and directed 2019’s Doctor Sleep, King’s sequel to The Shining, and 2017’s Gerald’s Game, a psychological horror starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood.
Most recently, Flanagan wrote and directed The Life of Chuck, an adaptation of King’s novella starring Tom Hiddleston as the titular Chuck. The sci-fi drama won the Audience Award at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Neon later acquired the film and plans to release The Life of Chuck in theaters next summer.
