Horror and literature followers alike can be excited to listen to that seasoned Stephen King cinematic universe storyteller Mike Flanagan has one thing new deliberate for his Carrie adaptation. The eight episode mini-series proposed by Amazon was an concept Flanagan initially balked at. He advised Variety, “I initially thought, ‘Why? It’s been executed.”
You may’t blame him for hesitating; the guide has already been tailored a number of instances. However after giving it appreciable thought, he mentioned, “I discovered a solution to that query, and it made me very excited.”
He then turned to somebody who clearly wanted to be a part of the dialogue: famed horror writer Stephen King, who Flanagan has had a fruitful working relationship with—together with on his present characteristic The Life of Chuck.
“However after I went to Steve, his reply was ‘Why?’ His first response was, ‘Go away her alone. She’s been by means of sufficient.’ But it surely’s that factor the place the extra data I may share, and sending him the bible and the plan for the present, he may see the factor we had been attempting to do this was new.” Flanagan defined. “Then he mentioned with out giving freely an excessive amount of, ‘Ohh, now I’m , simply as a fan. I’m excited to see the place this goes.’ As soon as he mentioned sure, then we had been off, as a result of if Steve had mentioned no, I wouldn’t do it. So the connection has developed, however he’s at all times remained extremely respectful of separating the guide and the film.”
The Physician Sleep filmmaker seeks to modernize the narrative we learn about Carrie’s wrestle to slot in, not simply in school however at house. How that may rework within the digital age knowledgeable his take. “The factor I’d say is the unique story is half a century previous and it’s fantastic. Its themes had been about youth and bullying and the results of that. I imagine that in right this moment’s trendy world, the facility of what it means to be a bully, the breadth of that and the influence of bullying, have modified rather a lot,” he mentioned.
“The central tenets are nonetheless the identical, however it’s about way more than Carrie White,” Flanagan teased, hinting that whereas different on-screen diversifications centered on Carrie, he plans on deeper explorations of the opposite characters and world round her as nicely.
“I can’t actually speak about what we’re doing, I can solely actually speak about what we’re not doing. We’re not retelling the story because it’s been advised, and we’re not making a present about telekinesis. It’s in there, however that’s not what it’s about,” he mentioned, ruling out about leaning an excessive amount of into Carrie’s supernatural inclinations. “There’s a model of it the place Carrie White carries a tragic superhero origin story that goes horribly incorrect. I really feel like they’ve executed that, too.”
This new model of the story will seemingly tie into how social constructions have grow to be extra poisonous, within the age of on-line platforms changing into locations of radicalization even when youngsters go away faculties. “We’re targeted far more on the destruction of a neighborhood by means of these very trendy instruments. What occurs in a world the place the web has created an setting of perceived anonymity? Carrie White within the locker room in each iteration is a horrifying scene,” he mentioned. “Carrie White within the locker room when folks have telephones of their palms is a complete totally different factor.”
That positively brings to thoughts up to date youth-centered dramas comparable to Adolescence however by means of Stephen King Horror—and we will’t wait to see what Flanagan comes up with.
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