After parting ways with Netflix, Mike Flanagan has joined forces with Amazon. The first outcome of this partnership will be Carrie, a series adaptation of Stephen King’s 70s novel.
Over the past few years, Flanagan has become one of the most influential modern horror filmmakers. His collaboration with Netflix began with the slasher Hush, followed by the thriller Gerald’s Game. After that, Flanagan released two instalments of the highly acclaimed “Haunting anthology”: The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, loosely adapting Gothic novellas by Shirley Jackson and Henry James.
The miniseries Midnight Mass, based on the filmmaker’s original concept, was also warmly received. The Midnight Club, a show aimed at teenagers, was less successful and was axed by Netflix after just one season. As his last project for Netflix, Flanagan created The Fall of the House of Usher, a miniseries based on various works from Edgar Allan Poe.
Apart from his collaboration with the streaming giant, the American filmmaker also directed the sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleep, and most recently, The Life of Chuck, starring Tom Hiddleston and Mark Hamill.
Carrie will be Mike Flanagan’s next project based on the work of Stephen King. Being the showrunner, writer, co-executive producer and director of some episodes, he will have almost complete creative control over the series. Let’s find out what to expect from this new adaptation of King’s famous novel.
When will the Carrie series be released?
Rumours about the project first appeared in October 2024, but the official confirmation arrived only in April 2025.
Mike Flanagan’s ‘CARRIE’ TV series has been greenlit at Prime Video.
The series will be 8 episodes and begin filming this Summer. pic.twitter.com/gkrKrDow62
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 10, 2025
Amazon hasn’t yet announced the release window for the new adaptation of the novel. However, according to rumours published by Variety, production on the Carrie series will kick off this summer.
Previous projects from Flannagan such as Midnight Mass took just over a year to hit streaming after filming began. So, based on that (accounting for filming, post-production and advertising) there’s a chance that the series may drop on Prime Video in the summer of 2026. However, this is just an estimation and is reliant on those filming rumours above being true.
The show will consist of eight episodes.
What will the plot of the Carrie series be?
The series, created by Mike Flanagan, is an adaptation of a 70s horror novel by Stephen King. It tells the story of Carrie White, a teenage girl bullied by her schoolmates and abused by her devoutly religious mother, Margaret. After getting her first period in traumatic circumstances, Carrie starts to master her supernatural abilities.
The gothic horror book deals with topics of bullying and social exclusion, as well as religious fundamentalism and female rage.
Amazon describes its series adaptation as: “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.”
Is Mike Flanagan’s series the first adaptation of Carrie?
No. The novel was adapted several times but never as a TV series. The first and most renowned adaptation is a 1976 movie directed by Brian De Palma, with Carrie famously portrayed by Sissy Spacek. A 1999 follow-up, The Rage: Carrie 2, tells the story of Carrie’s half-sister, and was met with mixed reviews.
The second adaptation of King’s premiered in 2002 and was panned by viewers and critics alike. The 2013 film, featuring Chloë Grace Moretz as Carrie, wasn’t successful either.
A musical adaptation from 1988 also was a huge disappointment – it went down in history as one of the biggest flops in Broadway theatre.
Who is the cast of the Carrie series?
Mike Flanagan is known for working with his favourite stars on various productions. Carrie will also feature several faces that you may recognise from the showrunner’s previous films and series.
Summer H. Howell, known mainly for horror productions such as Cult of Chucky, or Time Cut, will play Carrie White. Her abusive mother, Margaret White, will be portrayed by Samantha Sloyan, who previously appeared in Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club and The Fall of the House of Usher.
Siena Agudong, best known from F9 and Netflix’s Resident Evil series, will star as the bully-turned-friend Sue Snell.
Principal Grayle will be played by Matthew Lillard, reuniting with Flanagan after starring in The Life of Chuck, a film adaptation of another Stephen King story.
The series cast also includes:
- Joel Oulette (Here) as Tommy
- Alison Thornton (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency) as Chris Hargensen
- Thalia Dudek (Better Man) as Emaline
- Amber Midthunder (Avatar: The Last Airbender) as Miss Desjardin
- Josie Totah (The Buccaneers) as Tina
- Arthur Conti (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) as Billy
- Michael Trucco
- Heather Graham
- Tim Bagley
- Tahmoh Pinkett
- Mapuana Makia
- Rowan Danielle
- Naika Toussaint
- Delainey Hayles
- Cassandra Naud
The series will also feature Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Katee Sackhoff, Crystal Balint and Danielle Klaudt, who starred in Mike Flanagan’s productions created for Netflix.
