As he lines up his next adaptation of the horror author's work, Mike Flanagan explains how he got Stephen King to approve his the Life of Chuck, while also being attached to develop a Dark Tower TV show. King's 1974 novel, Carrie, about a misfit teenager who develops telekinetic abilities, has previously been adapted into four movies, as well as a special episode of Riverdale and a Broadway musical.
During a recent interview with MovieWeb, Flanagan opened up about developing the new Carrie TV show. The filmmaker recalls his initial reservation to do so when Amazon MGM Studios approached him to make it, feeling it was "done perfectly" by Brian De Palma with the 1976 movie, though began to realize the timely nature of King's story and character dealing with "high school violence and bullying":
It initially started as a conversation that Amazon initiated, and they said, “Hey, would you have any interest in Carrie?” And I had to think about it, because my first instinct is always — why? It's been done perfectly by De Palma, it's then been done three other times after the fact. Why do it again? Carrie White is a story about high school violence and bullying, and that feels immediate and important today, unfortunately, even more kind of sharply relevant than I think it was when he wrote it. So there felt like a chance for some true modernization beyond just changing the time period, and to use it to talk about the issues that affect high school kids in America today. You know, Carrie White walking through a metal detector is interesting to me. Carrie White with social media. The iconic scene in the locker room is very different when people have phones in their hands. So that was the first germ of an idea, like, there is room for this to actually have a lot to say that's very relevant.
Flanagan would go on to explain more about his approach to adapting the novel, confirming he would be making "some pretty substantial changes" to the source material. He also noted that he ensured he reached out to King for approval before moving forward with developing the show, affirming he would never move forward on any adaptation of his works without the author's say-so, and that while King was similarly reluctant, "he really liked it" after seeing Flanagan's plan:
And I can't spoil the changes that we made in order to kind of find a story that felt like it needed to be told. But we made some pretty substantial changes. When I brought it to Stephen King — because that's the other side of this, if Steve says no, he doesn't want to see it happen, we're not going to do it; I'm not about to do that in that relationship. And so when I mentioned it to him and said, “What do you think about Carrie for TV?” He said, “Well, why? Leave her alone. She's good, she's done. I'd rather we focus on other things.” But when I sent him kind of the layout of how I saw it could work, he really liked it. And he came back and said, “Actually, yes, I think this is interesting, and I think this could be really relevant and could be really exciting.” And so that was when I said yeah, we should do this. I can't talk more about it, other than we're in the writers' room. We're having a great time, and I think we're going to tell a story that will be surprising and impactful, very relevant to our modern society and to issues in our country. My oldest son is 14 years old, and I look at him as I'm working on this story, and think it's important for his generation. I think there'll be something in there that I hope will be useful to them in this world. But yeah, I'm really glad we're doing it. I'm having a blast.
In looking at where the show sits in regard to his other projects in the works, Flanagan itted to feeling surprised that Carrie "emerged as a priority" for him, comparing it to his experience with making The Haunting of Bly Manor in that once he "found an approach" that felt different from prior adaptations of The Turn of the Screw, he hit the ground running with writing. See the rest of what Flanagan explained below:
But it was a surprise to me as well that it emerged as a priority. Because my initial reaction was, why do it? Which, in fairness, I had the same reaction when we first talked about adapting The Turn of the Screw for [The Haunting of] Bly Manor. It's been done dozens of times, that thing is just worn out. Why? Why approach it? And we found an approach that made it feel like, yes, absolutely, this is a story worth telling. So, yeah, I think it's going to be very, very interesting for people, and I think it'll be surprising.
What Flanagan's Comments Mean For His Carrie Adaptation
He's Bringing The Same Subversive Approach As His Biggest Hits
Though he's not inherently indicating he'll be making an unfaithful version of King's 1974 novel, Flanagan's comments do point to him taking a similar approach to Carrie as many of his other hit TV shows. Both installments in his Haunting anthology on Netflix took either loose inspiration or primary adaptation from a single source, with Bly Manor, in particular, adapting multiple Henry James stories in addition to The Turn of the Screw. His most recent project on the streamer, The Fall of the House of Usher, also wove its own unique throughline adapting multiple Edgar Allan Poe stories around the eponymous one.
Every Mike Flanagan Movie & TV Show
After departing from Netflix to Amazon, Mike Flanagan is currently slated to helm four horror projects including a new Exorcist movie.
Considering his subversive approach was welcomed by both newcomers and longtime fans of their respective materials, it seems likely any changes Flanagan makes to Carrie from the book will still be in good faith. For King to have approved is already an encouraging sign, particularly since the only adaptation to have garnered any kind of success was that of De Palma's original, while the 2013 reimagining was a modest box office success. Flanagan and King also clearly have a good working relationship after all these years, and as such it makes sense the author would trust in him.
Our Take On Flanagan's Carrie Approach
A Modern Setting Combined With Changes Could Make The Best Adaptation Yet
Among his various comments above, Flanagan's discussion about how he's updating Carrie for a modern setting gives me a lot of hope for the show's ability to stand out from its predecessors. Though the Chloë Grace Moretz-led 2013 movie was set in the present day, it still generally felt like it was set in the past, with very few differences felt between it and the 1976 original. By actually touching on things like online bullying as much as staying true to elements like the opening locker scene, Flanagan sounds on the right path to make his version potentially the best of the bunch.
Source: MovieWeb
Carrie is a horror film directed by Brian De Palma, based on Stephen King's novel. It stars Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, a shy high school student who discovers her telekinetic abilities. Tormented by her peers and controlled by her fanatically religious mother, played by Piper Laurie, the film follows Carrie's emotional and psychological struggles leading to a dramatic climax. Carrie solidified its place in the horror genre for its powerful performances and chilling atmosphere.
- Writers
- Stephen King, Lawrence D. Cohen
- Main Genre
- Horror
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