Prime Video clearly hasn’t had enough blood at the prom, as it has officially renewed ‘Carrie‘ for a second season, just weeks after the Stephen King adaptation arrived on the streaming service.
The eight-part horror drama from Mike Flanagan launched earlier this October, putting a modern spin on King’s landmark 1974 novel. According to Prime Video, it reached the number one spot on the service in more than 105 countries, which is a fairly compelling argument for not leaving Carrie White’s story on the dancefloor.
The renewal brings both Flanagan and King back as executive producers, with Flanagan once again serving as writer and showrunner. That’s particularly interesting given that the filmmaker has previously talked about a possible three-season vision for the character. In other words, this may only be the beginning of the trouble.
Carrie White’s Story Goes Beyond The Prom
The first season follows sheltered schoolgirl Carrie White, played by Summer H. Howell, after the sudden death of her father pushes her into public high school. It’s a world of classroom cruelty, online humiliation and viral bullying, made considerably more dangerous when Carrie begins developing telekinetic powers.
At home, she’s still living under the shadow of Margaret White, her fiercely controlling mother, played by Samantha Sloyan (The Pitt). Between an increasingly hostile school environment and Margaret’s suffocating influence, Carrie doesn’t exactly have the easiest time fitting in. And, well, anyone familiar with the source material knows that things tend to get rather messy.
Flanagan’s version also makes substantial changes to the familiar story, particularly as it heads towards its finale. We won’t spoil those here, but the series leaves itself plenty of room to take Carrie into territory that neither the original novel nor the most famous film adaptation explored.
Prime Video says Season 2 will uncover new revelations, expand major character arcs and deliver more twists. It hasn’t revealed the full storyline or confirmed which cast members will return, so exactly what awaits Carrie remains under wraps.
“For 50 years, audiences have known and gravitated to Carrie White’s story. From the beginning, we imagined a story that goes far beyond the prom, and I’m incredibly grateful for Stephen’s trust and support in exploring what comes next,” said showrunner Mike Flanagan.
Stephen King, who also serves as an executive producer on the series, sounds equally enthusiastic about continuing beyond the events of his original novel.
“I can’t wait for audiences to get to see what’s down the road for Carrie White. Mike Flanagan and I are excited about what comes next. It’s bound to be thrilling,” said executive producer Stephen King
A Strong Start For Prime Video’s New Horror Series
Flanagan, whose previous TV work includes ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ and ‘Midnight Mass’, wrote and executive produced Season 1, and directed four of its eight episodes. It’s a particularly interesting match of filmmaker and material, given how much of his work deals with grief, trauma and the horrors people inflict on one another before anything supernatural gets involved.
The first season’s wider ensemble includes Siena Agudong (Resident Evil) as Sue Snell, Alison Thornton (Fire Country) as Chris Hargensen, Joel Oulette (My Life with the Walter Boys) as Tommy Ross and Amber Midthunder (Prey) as Miss Desjardin. Matthew Lillard (Man of Tomorrow) also appears as Principal Grayle, while familiar Flanagan collaborators Kate Siegel (The Haunting of Hill House) and Rahul Kohli (We Were Liars) feature in the wider ensemble.
The renewal also comes at an appropriate moment for the franchise. Brian De Palma’s famous 1976 film adaptation reaches its 50th anniversary this November. Five decades after Carrie White first became a horror cinema icon, her story is heading somewhere new rather than simply replaying the same disastrous prom night.
All eight episodes of ‘Carrie‘ Season 1 are available to stream on Prime Video now. There is currently no announced premiere date for ‘Carrie’ Season 2.
If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
Login to Geektown