How Mike Flanagan’s Carrie Series Soft-Launches a New Stephen King Universe

Establishing the Psychic Multiverse

The series departs from the 1974 Stephen King novel by framing Carrie White’s powers within a larger, recurring history of women possessing extraordinary abilities. This narrative choice shifts the focus from a singular tragedy to a more expansive, dangerous world. The show introduces characters like Emaline West, played by Thalia Dudek, who represents a faction of psychics attempting to survive against a secretive group dedicated to their elimination. This creative pivot provides Flanagan with the latitude to explore an alternate trajectory for the protagonist while laying the groundwork for a shared universe that could eventually incorporate other telepathic characters from King’s bibliography, such as those from The Shining or The Dead Zone. The cast includes Summer H. Howell as Carrie White, Samantha Sloyan as Margaret White, and Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen. By the end of the first season, Carrie and Emaline are seen heading off together, free to shape their own futures while the psychic group continues its search for Carrie.

Connecting to The Dark Tower

While Carrie stands as a standalone series, its thematic architecture is designed to align with Flanagan’s larger, long-term project: an adaptation of The Dark Tower. In an interview with TV Insider, Flanagan confirmed that the show exists on a specific level of the Tower, the central nexus of King’s multiverse. He explained that the opportunity to weave these connections is a primary appeal of adapting King’s work, noting that the author often hinted at these intersections within his original texts. This approach positions the current series as a piece of a larger puzzle, potentially bridging the gap between isolated horror stories and the expansive fantasy Western epic that serves as the connective tissue for much of King’s literary output.

Amazon MGM Studios Aligns Fragmented King Rights

Building a shared universe based on King’s work involves significant logistical and legal complexity. The rights to King’s library are fragmented across various studios, a reality that has hampered previous attempts to create a unified onscreen multiverse, such as the 2017 The Dark Tower film. Because the current Carrie series and the upcoming The Dark Tower project are both produced under the Amazon MGM Studios banner, Flanagan possesses an opportunity to align these properties more effectively than past attempts.

Expanding the Narrative Scope

Flanagan has expressed a vision for Carrie to span three seasons, a duration that would provide sufficient space to explore the psychic underground he has established. This multi-season framework allows the production to move beyond the constraints of the original novel, evolving the show into something resembling the interconnectedness of Castle Rock. By modernizing the setting—incorporating the impact of social media and internet culture on the central themes of bullying—the series updates the original story for contemporary audiences. While it remains unclear if the story of Carrie will directly lead to connections to the planned Dark Tower show, the series is available to stream on Prime Video as of its 2026 release.

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