Mike Flanagan Reveals How His Carrie Adaptation Changes The Iconic Ending
Back to the source.
Mike Flanagan, the horror mogul who made several hit series for Netflix, and Stephen King, the prolific writer of countless novels, have formed one of the most trusting relationships in entertainment. After 2017’s Gerald’s Game, Flanagan has repeatedly returned to King’s work, from the Shining sequel Doctor Sleep to the wholesome joy of The Life of Chuck.
Flanagan may still be developing an adaptation of King’s “unadaptable” Dark Tower series and a new take on his heartbreaking story The Mist, but he’s also taking a moment to bring Carrie, King’s ode to feminine rage, back to life as a miniseries. After more than a year of speculation, we finally have our first look at the series — and apparently, it’s making some big changes.
Summer H. Howell and Samantha Sloyan as Carrie and Margaret White in Mike Flanagan’s Carrie.
In a preview for Entertainment Weekly, Flanagan revealed first-look images for his adaptation, starring Summer H. Howell as Carrie White, a sheltered, bullied girl who finds a supernatural way to wreak havoc during her high school prom. Stephen King’s 1974 novel was famously adapted by Brian De Palma in 1976, but Flanagan says that his miniseries will vary quite a bit from that adaptation while bringing cut material back from the book.
Take, for example, the now-famous climax where Carrie uses her telekinetic powers to turn her prom into a deadly affair. In past adaptations, this scene is pretty straightforward, but the novel expands on the event by using in-universe primary sources, like transcripts.
The miniseries will use its extended runtime to highlight these and other elements that are often overlooked, like the “TK gene” that allowed Carrie to tap into her powers in the first place. According to Flanagan, each episode after the pilot will open with another woman in history who had this same supernatural ability. “Carrie’s specific place among that group of women is part of the real joy that we get to discover over the course of the season,” he said.
Mike Flanagan’s Carrie is set in the present day, so the bullies have smartphones now.
There are other changes too, but knowing Mike Flanagan’s style (and his undying love for King’s work), they should be in the spirit of the original book. “We’re getting there a completely different way, and the events of that prom are going to be completely different,” Flanagan said. “That’s a wonderfully delicious and irresistible opportunity for someone who loves adapting things.”
It sounds like this adaptation isn’t about replicating and updating the story that horror fans grew up with, but about experimenting and seeing how even fundamental changes can still reflect the original intention of the work. “This would require an enormous amount of change and invention and re-contextualization, but that’s kind of why I wanted to do it,” Flanagan said.
