Mike Flanagan Signs Major Amazon-MGM Deal Following His Upcoming CARRIE Series
Mike Flanagan spent years building an impressive partnership with Netflix, delivering some of the platform’s most memorable horror projects. Now the filmmaker is turning the page on a new chapter.
After finishing work on a new adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie for Prime Video, Flanagan has officially signed an exclusive multi-year overall deal with Amazon MGM Studios.
For fans of the director and for longtime Stephen King readers, this move could open the door to some very exciting things.
Flanagan built his reputation with Netflix through a mix of films and prestige horror series that pulled in audiences and critics alike. Early projects like Hush, Before I Wake, and Gerald’s Game helped establish his voice, but it was his string of ambitious limited series that really defined that era.
Shows such as The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and The Fall of the House of Usher turned him into one of the most recognizable creators working in modern horror television.
Now he’s bringing that creative energy to Prime Video.
According to Deadline, Flanagan has signed an exclusive overall deal with Amazon MGM Studios that will see him producing and developing original television series for the studio moving forward.
Flanagan has said that he’s approaching the project as a way of bringing King’s classic story to a new generation of viewers. The series will mark the first major project released under this new partnership and sets the tone for what could be a long and productive run with Prime Video.
While Flanagan has become closely tied to Stephen King adaptations, his career stretches far beyond those projects. On the big screen he directed King adaptations Doctor Sleep and The Life of Chuck, and he’s also working on a new The Exorcist for Blumhouse.
Earlier in his career he carved out a strong reputation in horror with films like Oculus, Absentia, and Ouija: Origin of Evil.
At the same time, The Life of Chuck showed that he’s just as comfortable telling emotional, character-driven stories outside the traditional horror space.
But this new Amazon deal could mean something especially exciting for King fans.
For years readers have been waiting to see The Dark Tower brought to life as a proper television series. The previous attempt to launch the franchise as a film adaptation didn’t land with audiences and had little connection to King’s beloved novels.
Before that, Ron Howard had plans for a massive interconnected movie and TV saga that never made it off the ground. King even approached Frank Darabont, the director of The Shawshank Redemption, about tackling the story, though Darabont ultimately declined.
Flanagan has made it clear that he has his own vision for The Dark Tower. His plan reportedly includes a five-season television series along with two standalone feature films that would tie the entire story together.
With Flanagan now under a multi-year deal at Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video looks like the natural home for that massive project. The platform has shown more patience with long-running genre shows compared to some other streamers, which could give the ambitious adaptation the time it needs to unfold.
On top of that, Flanagan is also developing a new take on The Mist, another Stephen King story that previously received a widely praised film adaptation from Darabont.
Between Carrie, The Mist, and the long-anticipated possibility of The Dark Tower, Flanagan’s future at Prime Video is shaping up to be a very interesting ride.