Since he bid a grandiose farewell to his overall deal with Netflix via the 2023 miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher, those of us who proudly call ourselves Flanafans have been eager to see the next series that Mike Flanagan has up his sleeves. The director and writer previously signed on with Amazon to back numerous projects for Prime Video, and now, it seems that one of the biggest puzzle pieces is falling into place. Today, Variety revealed that Curse of Chucky alum Summer H. Howell is nearing the end of discussions to play the titular role of Carrie in Flangan’s series adaptation of the beloved Stephen King novel.
Horror fans might recognize Howell from her work in Don Mancini’s 2013 feature, Curse of Chucky, in which she played a young girl who finds herself drawn to the killer doll. Her character would later meet a gruesome and terrifying fate in that film’s follow-up, Cult of Chucky. Essentially, Howell has already cut her teeth in the genre and promises to deliver a killer performance in Flanagan’s Carrie adaptation. The performer’s other credits include Time Cut, Spirit in the Blood, and All Fun and Games, with upcoming appearances set in Night of the Reaper and Normal.
As for Flanagan, Carrie marks his latest team-up with the legendary horror author, as the pair have previously worked alongside one another on the feature-length adaptations of such favorites as Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep. Soon, audiences will show up in theaters to watch the critically acclaimed The Life of Chuck, a take on King’s novella which features a star-studded cast including Tom Hiddleston, Kate Siegel, Matthew Lillard, and more. Along with Carrie, Flanagan is also working to bring fans an on-screen version of The Dark Tower, which will break the lengthy story down into an episodic form, hopefully undoing the harm that had fans talking (for all the wrong reasons) back in 2017.
‘Carrie’ Through the Years
Without Carrie, there’s a good chance that King wouldn’t be the household name that he’s become. The novel was first published in 1974 and immediately climbed the bestseller list. In 1976, Scarface and The Untouchables director, Brian De Palma, took an interest in the story and — alongside MGM — turned it into a cinematic event. The first theatrical adaptation starred Sissy Spacek in a career-defining role with John Travolta also appearing. Since then, the character has gone on to be played by numerous other actresses, including Angela Bettis in NBC’s 2002 made-for-TV movie and Chloë Grace Moretz in the 2013 feature-length remake.
via Collider