Mike Flanagan’s Carrie Series Makes Stephen King’s Novel More Vital 52 Years Later

Published Sep 25, 2026, 1:46 PM EDT Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour. Ahead of its October premiere, acclaimed filmmaker Mike Flanagan revealed why Carrie is more "vital" than ever before and why he didn't want to create a period piece with his upcoming Prime Video series. Stephen King's first novel was released in 1974 and has been adapted for the screen multiple times, first in 1976 with Brian De Palma's Carrie, which landed Oscar nominations for Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie. The story centers on the titular character, a teenager who gains telekinetic powers and seeks revenge against her bullies after being sheltered by her mother. It's been more than 50 years since King published Carrie, but what King created all those years ago still has themes and messages that are extremely relevant to modern society. During an interview with Radio Times, Flanagan explained that when he signed on to remake Carrie, he didn't want to retread what had been done before by just making a period piece. He wanted to speak to what kids are going through today with rapidly advancing technology at their fingertips. "The themes we are exploring are relevant to today's teenagers in such a profound way that wasn't true when I was that age, much less when Stephen was," he said. "This wasn't about nostalgia and doing something again; it was about telling a story that was vital to today, speaking to the unique experience of teens today." "The themes we are exploring are relevant to today’s teenagers in such a profound way that wasn’t true when I was that age, much less when Stephen was, and just doing a period piece adaptation would have felt like re-reading. "This wasn’t about nostalgia and doing something again, it was about telling a story that was vital to today, speaking to the unique experience of teens today, told through a new version of Stephen’s characters." Flanagan, who serves as showrunner and an executive producer with Trevor Macy and King, added that kids today are confronted with a much different reality than when he was in school, from technology to anxiety and other mental health conditions. "This was a wonderful opportunity to explore that," he explained. "Today, kids deal with a level of anxiety at school that I couldn’t have contemplated when I was growing up and the horror of being a teen today is so different from 1976, and this was a wonderful opportunity to explore that." Aside from being set in modern society, Flanagan's Carrie marks a break from past adaptations in another way: the story is being told across an eight-episode miniseries, whereas past versions were all films. Summer H. Howell stars as Carrie White, with Samantha Sloyan playing her mom, Margaret White. Other cast members include Siena Agudong, Alison Thornton, Josie Totah, Joel Oulette, Thalia Dudek, Arthur Conti, Amber Midthunder and Latthew Lillard. The character and her fellow classmates did not have social media back when King wrote the novel and when the first couple Carrie films came out. However, the 2013 remake starring Chloë Grace Moretz told a modern interpretation of the story with cyberbullying at the center when Carrie's most vulnerable moment gets posted to YouTube for everyone to see. That was only 13 years ago, but technology and social media have progressed even more since then, which Prime Video's Carrie will explore. Flanagan is no stranger to the horror genre, having directed films like Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep, and created the TV shows The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Fall of the House of Usher, among others. Now the filmmaker is heading back to the small screen for Carrie, which doesn't premiere until October but has already received positive reviews from critics and currently holds an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. Carrie premieres Wednesday, October 7 on Prime Video. Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network Prime Video Showrunner Mike Flanagan Cast Summer H. Howell Carrie White Matthew Lillard Principal Grayle Samantha Sloyan Margaret White Carrie White struggles through school life after her father's passing in this new adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel. The challenges she faces include bullying, a domineering mother, and the the development of her telekinetic abilities.