One would think that after filmmaker Mike Flanagan pulled off the impossible not once, nor twice, but three times, that he might have a little bit of leeway thrown his way. After bringing the unadaptable Stephen King books Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, and The Life of Chuck to life as feature films, there was still some horror fans scratching their heads when it was confirmed that he would be working on a reboot of King’s first novel, Carrie. After the success of Brian De Palma’s original movie, and the subsequent attempts failing to live up to the original, there was something of a stigma around “another” go at adapting the material.
The early footage from Flanagan’s Carrie, though, alongside the response from the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival and Fantastic Fest, has indicated that there’s something very distinct about this new show that the others didn’t have, and Flanagan himself has admitted that the show expands on details from the book itself. Now, he’s confirmed what that could mean for the future. Speaking in an interview with Collider, Flanagan was asked if the new series was really it or if there were plans for more Carrie down the road, to which he responded that his “dream scenario” is three seasons for the entire series. Exciting as that might be for Flanagan’s fans, it could mean some major hiccups for the future; the biggest among them, the source material has been exhausted.
It’s worth noting, of course, that Flanagan was quick to make it clear that two more seasons of Carrie White’s story are simply hypothetical, and the batch of episodes that will drop next week on Prime Video were carefully crafted to tell a whole story that delivers something distinct for Stephen King fans. Potential future seasons would just be icing on the cake, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have challenges ahead of them.
The first of these challenges is, as noted, the entirety of the story found in King’s original novel appears to have made its way to the screen. Should additional seasons of Carrie get ordered, it would mean the series will be working with original material entirely, though almost certainly still using King’s original text as a “north star” of sorts to figure out where the narrative might go next. In truth, Flanagan has experience in this, especially in his TV adaptations for shows like The Haunting of Hill House and The Fall of the House of Usher, so it’s something he’s done before, just not in the realm of Stephen King, despite his multiple adaptations.
To that end, that is the second major hurdle that Carrie has for its future: Flanagan’s own schedule. On top of directing the new movie in The Exorcist franchise, due out next year, he’s already been tapped to work on a new adaptation of another beloved Stephen King property, The Mist. Furthermore, his plan to bring The Dark Tower to life is a project he’s been developing for years.
All of that is to say, one assumes Flanagan would still be actively involved in more seasons of Carrie, but his schedule is already getting quite full. Naturally, the man has proven his ability to juggle a lot of projects all at once, so there’s no reason he couldn’t do it again. We just want what’s best for you, Mike; you haven’t let us down yet. Perhaps it’s too early to think about how more seasons of Carrie could not only tie into Flanagan’s Dark Tower plans, but maybe his previous King adaptations too. All things serve the beam, after all.
Carrie‘s eight episodes will debut on October 7, 2026, on Prime Video.
