Mike Flanagan’s Upcoming Stephen King Series Is Even Better Thanks To One Change

The news that Mike Flanagan will reunite with one frequent collaborator on his upcoming Stephen King series is great news for fans of the writer/director. It’s a good time to be a Stephen King fan. While Glen Powell’s remake of The Running Man might have flopped at the box office, HBOMax’s acclaimed IT prequel Welcome to Derry has been greenlit for a second season, and one of King’s biggest fans, the iconic writer/director Mike Flanagan, is currently putting the finishing touches on a new adaptation of King’s legendary debut novel.

Flanagan’s upcoming Prime series, Carrie, marks the fourth screen version of King’s 1974 epistolary novel (and the fifth in the franchise, given the original 1999 sequel Carrie 2: The Rage), which tells the tale of a sheltered, bullied schoolgirl who takes bloody revenge on her tormentors during one fateful prom night. Carrie is one of King’s most re-readable books, and, while 1976’s original Brian De Palma movie adaptation is great, its 2013 remake left a lot to be desired. Thus, the news that 2026’s Carrie miniseries will reunite Flanagan with his iconic collaborator Kate Siegel is exciting for fans of King and the writer/director alike.

Mike Flanagan’s Kate Siegel Projects Are Even Better Than His Solo Movies and Shows

Prime’s Carrie sees Flanagan and his frequent collaborator (and real-life wife) Kate Siegel working together for the tenth time since 2013’s haunted mirror movie Oculus. Since that $44 million hit was released, Siegel has appeared in Flanagan’s acclaimed Netflix shows The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher, and his movies Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald’s Game, and The Life of Chuck, as well as co-writing Hush with him.

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Siegel also directed a segment from 2024’s anthology horror VHS: Beyond that was written by Flanagan. Her return in the upcoming Carrie miniseries is great news, judging by Flanagan’s historical Rotten Tomatoes scores. While it will be tough for Carrie to outdo the acclaim received by IT: Welcome to Derry, it is worth noting that all the writer/director’s collaborations with his wife are his highest-rated movies and shows.

Prime’s Carrie Blends Mike Flanagan Regulars With Exciting Newcomers

2014’s fantasy horror Before I Wake and 2019’s expensive The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep are Flanagan’s two lowest-rated movies on the critical aggregator site, while 2022’s Christopher Pike adaptation The Midnight Club is his lowest-rated show. These three titles don’t have much in common, but they are all the only Flanagan shows and movies that didn’t involve Siegel since 2013’s Oculus. Of course, Carrie’s cast has plenty of other appealing stars that mark the series out as a must-watch.

Among Flanagan’s existing collaborators, Siegel, Midnight Mass’s unforgettable villain Samantha Sloyan, and Rahul Kohli all return for the miniseries, while the show’s comparative newcomers to Flanagan’s cinematic universe include The Life of Chuck supporting star Matthew Lillard, Prey’s Amber Midthunder, and Heather Graham. This great blend of familiar faces and unexpected new arrivals alone would make Prime’s Carrie a must-watch, but the news that Mike Flanagan’s upcoming Stephen King show also features his most consistent collaborator, Kate Siegel, makes the series all the more exciting.