Blood will spill again at prom, but this time it’s streaming. Prime Video has released the first-look images from “Carrie,” an eight-episode reimagining of Stephen King’s landmark horror story from writer, director, and showrunner Mike Flanagan.
Summer Howell stars as Carrie White, a socially isolated teenager who has spent most of her life confined to her home by her fiercely protective mother, Margaret, played by Samantha Sloyan. Following the sudden death of Carrie’s father, she is thrust into public high school and forced to contend with bullying, social-media cruelty, and the emergence of mysterious telekinetic abilities.
Prime Video describes the series as a “bold, timely, and surprising reinvention” that expands the characters and tensions of King’s novel. The adaptation will explore the seemingly minor choices that accumulate before the story’s climactic and devastating night, while asking whether Carrie is becoming a hero, a monster, or something more complicated.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, which provided some of the first-look images, Flanagan acknowledged that the frequently adapted story required a more radical approach this time. “The only way to approach it was to build something new out of the ingredients of Carrie,” he said.
That includes bringing King’s themes of bullying, empathy, and school violence into the present-day technological and social media landscape. Flanagan also plans to expand the mythology surrounding Carrie’s powers, including the novel’s references to a “TK gene” and the possibility that she belongs to a much larger community of gifted women.
Howell landed the role following an extensive search in which more than 1,000 actors reportedly auditioned. The ensemble also includes Siena Agudong as Sue Snell, Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen, Joel Oulette as Tommy Ross, Josie Totah as Tina, Arthur Conti as Billy, Thalia Dudek as Emaline, Amber Midthunder as Miss Desjardin, and Matthew Lillard as Principal Grayle.
Although the familiar destination remains prom night, Flanagan cautioned that the series will take a markedly different road to get there. “We’re getting there a completely different way,” he said, noting that the events of the prom itself will also substantially depart from previous versions.
Flanagan wrote, executive produced the series, and directed four of its eight episodes. King also serves as an executive producer, with Amazon MGM Studios as the producer.
Published in 1974, “Carrie” was King’s debut novel and launched a literary career that has produced countless film and television adaptations. Brian De Palma’s acclaimed 1976 version, starring Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, earned Academy Award nominations for both performers and celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
The novel was subsequently adapted into a 1988 Broadway musical, a 2002 television movie starring Angela Bettis, and a 2013 feature starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore. Flanagan’s version, however, marks the property’s first full television-series adaptation.
“Carrie” premieres on Prime Video in fall 2026. Check out the first look images below.
