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Amazon Prime shares first look at Carrie, Mike Flanagan’s next Stephen King adaptation
Developed over time first seen 4 months ago
Prime Video has released the first look at its upcoming television adaptation of Stephen King's *Carrie*, developed and directed by horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan. This marks the story's return 50 years after Brian De Palma's original 1976 film, moving the tale of a bullied, telekinetic teenager from cinema to the small screen for the first time, with Flanagan updating the bullying narrative for the social-media era.
The eight-episode series stars Summer Howell as Carrie White, alongside Amber Midthunder and Matthew Lillard, and follows Carrie as she navigates public school, a viral bullying scandal and her mother's overprotectiveness after her father's death, while her telekinetic powers emerge. Images shared so far show school and shower-bullying scenes, though none from the notorious bloody prom sequence. Previous attempts to follow up on the 1976 classic, including films in 1999, 2002 and 2013, were poorly received, but the calibre of talent involved has raised hopes this version could fare better. No release date has been confirmed, though it is expected to stream in the autumn.
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In short
- Prime Video reveals first-look images of its new Carrie series
- Mike Flanagan directs; Summer Howell stars as Carrie White
- Eight-episode series expected to stream this autumn
How this story developed
- 4 months ago Prime Video unveiled first-look images and cast details for its Mike Flanagan-directed television adaptation of Stephen King's *Carrie*, starring Summer Howell, Amber Midthunder and Matthew Lillard in an eight-episode series expected to stream in autumn, with no confirmed release date yet.
- Variety u2018Carrieu2019 TV Series: First-Look Images From Mike Flanaganu2019s Take on Stephen King Classic
- The Hollywood Reporter Prime Video Releases First Look at Mike Flanaganu2019s u2018Carrieu2019 Series
- Collider Prime Video Officially Unveils First Look at Mike Flanagan's New Stephen King Series
- Polygon Amazon Prime shares first look at Carrie, Mike Flanagan’s next Stephen King adaptation
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Television's extended format and Mike Flanagan's exceptional talent in prestige horror create genuine opportunity to develop characters and themes with greater depth than the 1976 original achieved. Updating the bullying narrative for the social media era grants the story renewed contemporaneous relevance, making it resonate authentically with modern audiences rather than functioning as mere nostalgia.
The case against
The entertainment industry's persistent reliance on remakes over original storytelling represents a significant cultural loss, and previous Carrie adaptations in 1999, 2002 and 2013 performed poorly, suggesting limited audience appetite for further iterations. The 1976 De Palma film remains culturally definitive and extraordinarily difficult to improve upon; another version must justify itself beyond modernisation and technological updating.
Explained simply
Bullied teenagers, telekinesis and a house that shakes when its owner is pushed too far: Stephen King's 1974 novel Carrie has been reworked many times since Brian De Palma's 1976 film made it famous, though none of the follow-ups matched the original's impact. The story centres on Carrie White, a sheltered teenage girl raised by a domineering, deeply religious mother, whose repressed telekinetic powers surface after she is subjected to a humiliating act of bullying at school.
This new version is a television series for Amazon Prime, made by Mike Flanagan, a director known for horror projects such as The Haunting of Hill House and Doctor Sleep. It is the first time the story has been made as a TV show rather than a film, giving it more time to develop Carrie's home life and school experiences, with the bullying storyline reworked to reflect how social media can amplify cruelty among teenagers.
The project matters partly because of Flanagan's track record with King's work, and partly because earlier attempts to revisit Carrie on screen were generally considered disappointing. Expectations are therefore mixed, with interest centred on whether a longer, modernised format and a well-regarded creative team can do more justice to the source material than previous adaptations managed.
Coverage · 4 sources
- PolygonAmazon Prime shares first look at Carrie, Mike Flanagan’s next Stephen King adaptation
- Varietyu2018Carrieu2019 TV Series: First-Look Images From Mike Flanaganu2019s Take on Stephen King Classic
- The Hollywood ReporterPrime Video Releases First Look at Mike Flanaganu2019s u2018Carrieu2019 Series
- ColliderPrime Video Officially Unveils First Look at Mike Flanagan's New Stephen King Series
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Originally published by Polygon as “Amazon Prime shares first look at Carrie, Mike Flanagan’s next Stephen King adaptation”.