Stephen King Sci-Fi Series That’s Like X-Men Meets Stranger Things Gets Exciting Season 2 Update

Adaptations of the works of Stephen King have long been considered all but guaranteed some form of success on the big or small screen. Previous occasions on which the iconic author’s work has been adapted have delivered some truly exceptional experiences, with hit movies and respected TV shows all stemming from stories that originally came from King’s imagination. There have been many Stephen King movies over the years, but TV adaptations have been comparatively rare. Even so, when a King-based show does find its way onto the small screen, audiences almost always resonate with the story, earning the series in question at least some form of following, be it massive or a smaller-scale cult fan base.

The Institute combines the sci-fi atmosphere of Stranger Things with the interesting themes of X-Men stories, following a group of children imprisoned in the eponymous facility after the discovery that they possess latent telekinetic and telepathic powers. Although The Institute might not have proved a smash hit in its first season, it was quietly respected as another great King story brought to life on the small screen. However, now, series star Ben Barnes has taken to Instagram to share the exciting news that season 2 of The Institute has almost wrapped filming. The update on the second season’s progress is a welcome one to fans, as it seems that season 2 of the Stephen King TV series will come to fruition sooner rather than later.

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What Makes The Institute Season 2 Such An Exciting Prospect

There are a few key points that make The Institute season 2 especially exciting. Perhaps the biggest is that season 1 effectively exhausted the source material, making the second season’s story an original addition. The nature of King’s original story, combined with the narrative thrust of season 1, makes the next chapter of The Institute seem especially intriguing. The story of children possessing supernatural abilities being exploited for the supposed good of humanity draws parallels with other popular sci-fi stories.

When it comes to Stephen King TV series, The Institute stands out as relatively unique. Its first season was a pretty direct adaptation of King’s original book, but the second will expand its narrative ideas, building its own narrative around the foundation written by King. This makes The Institute different from purely original shows such as Castle Rock and It: Welcome to Derry, but also from more faithful adaptations of King’s work.

The subtle narrative tweaks worked into season 1 have already teased an exciting story for season 2. Even to those who have read the book season 1 adapts, season 2 will offer an all-new story, which is almost certian to appeal to fans of Stephen King as well those of similar shows such as Stranger Things. With a sci-fi premise that touches on various popular narrative tropes and now an original story to follow up on season 1, The Institute season 2 being almost done filming seems an especially interesting prospect.

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