ABC News has uncovered that a thrilling series adaptation of Stephen King's seminal novel, "Carrie," is well underway. This spine-chilling tale revolves around an outcast teenager imbued with supernatural abilities, reimagining the iconic 1974 horror story. Set against the backdrop of high school tribulations, Carrie White, orphaned and bound to her domineering mother after her father's passing, must grapple with the rigors of adolescence while harnessing her burgeoning telekinetic powers. Amazon MGM Studios embarks on this gripping odyssey.
At the helm of this sinister reinvention stands Mike Flanagan, a master of the macabre whose credits include the haunting "The Haunting of Bly Manor," the chilling "Ouija: Origin of Evil," and the eerie "Oculus." He'll not only pen the script but also serve as executive producer and showrunner, orchestrating every chilling twist and turn. Collaborating with Trevor Macy of Intrepid Pictures, they forge a formidable duo determined to bring Carrie's tale to chilling new heights.
King's debut novel, "Carrie," launched him into literary stardom and laid the foundation for his prolific career spanning over 60 horror novels. Many of his works have been brilliantly translated onto the big and small screens, including "The Shining," "Misery," "The Stand," and "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption," which inspired the Oscar-nominated masterpiece, "The Shawshank Redemption," in 1994.
Reflecting on the humble beginnings of "Carrie" during a 2023 "Good Morning America" interview, King reminisced, "We were a struggling family, living in a cramped apartment with two young children. I was hustling to sell short stories to men's magazines, barely scraping by. Teaching during the school year and working at a laundry in the summers, I was overjoyed when 'Carrie' sold for a staggering $400,000 for its paperback rights."
King humorously recounted how his wife rescued the novel from the brink of oblivion. "I had deemed it too long for a short story and too short for a novel, so I tossed it aside. It landed in the trash bin, only to be rescued by my wife, who plucked it out, read a few pages, and urged me, 'You must continue this.'"
Previously, "Carrie" was immortalized on screen in the 1976 Brian De Palma-directed film of the same name, and has been reimagined in various cinematic iterations. This latest series adaptation promises to be a haunting exploration of Carrie's tale, reinvigorating the genre and thrilling audiences anew.
