Stephen King Names Mike Flanagan His Best Adapter and Teases a Secret Project Beyond ‘Carrie’

Stephen King has watched his books pass through the Hollywood machine for decades, with results that range from timeless to forgettable. Few filmmakers have earned his trust quite like Mike Flanagan seems to have. The Stephen King and Mike Flanagan partnership has now collected some of the author’s highest praise yet.

King has had tens of films and shows based on his work. He worked with several directors more than once, notably Frank Darabont, who was behind ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ and ‘The Green Mile’, but Flanagan has now directed 4 King projects. Flanagan has long been a fan, having read ‘It’ in fifth grade and ‘Gerald’s Game’ in college, which he later adapted.

His King résumé includes ‘Gerald’s Game’, ‘Doctor Sleep’ and ‘The Life of Chuck’, all films. The Prime Video series ‘Carrie’ is the latest, and the fourth King adaptation from Flanagan overall.

Now King has weighed in personally. In a video shared on social media, he sits on his couch with his dog, Molly, as he watches ‘Carrie’ on Prime Video. He tells viewers to do the same because Flanagan directed it, and calls him the best adapter of his work.

Then comes the tease. King says that if viewers like the show and enough people watch, he and Flanagan might do something else really special. He kept the details to himself.

Shhh! Don’t talk about this! https://t.co/MUxoksZBev

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 9, 2026

King didn’t name it, which leaves the speculation wide open. The obvious guess is ‘The Dark Tower’, King’s sprawling fantasy saga, which Flanagan has been developing for years. But that project is already known, so it doesn’t clearly explain a secret.

The message is also conditional. King tied a possible future collaboration to how well the ‘Carrie’ series performs, rather than announcing a settled project. ‘Carrie’ is reportedly dominating Prime Video’s streaming charts, so an answer may come sooner rather than later.

Another theory involves ‘Revival’. In 2024, Flanagan lamented losing his adaptation of King’s 2014 novel. Whether that has anything to do with the tease is pure speculation, so fans can treat it as a fun possibility for now.

The 8-episode series premiered on October 7 with Summer H. Howell as Carrie, alongside Samantha Sloyan and Matthew Lillard. King executive produced it with Flanagan and Trevor Macy. Critics praised Flanagan’s modern take on the source material, the themes and the performances, though some were divided over changes from the novel.

It also connects to a bigger world. Flanagan has confirmed that ‘Carrie’ ties into ‘The Dark Tower’ universe, saying the connections within King’s universe are among the most fun for fans to make. The first season’s links to that saga could be laying the groundwork for his larger vision, beyond the 3-season run he hopes to get for ‘Carrie’.

The King and Flanagan pipeline is already busy. Flanagan is set to write and direct a new film of ‘The Mist’ for Warner Bros., in collaboration with the author. That reunites the studio with the pair after ‘Doctor Sleep’, and follows Frank Darabont’s 2007 version and a 2017 television series.

‘The Dark Tower’ is the biggest project of all. Flanagan has confirmed his adaptation will begin with the first novel, ‘The Gunslinger’, and follow the books in order. Earlier this year he revealed that King had read the scripts for Season 1 and was very happy with them.

One report notes the series has yet to be officially greenlit, though others describe it as still in development at Amazon with Flanagan attached. He has also signed a multi-project deal with Prime.

Plenty of directors have taken a swing at King’s stories, and the author has been famously mixed on the results. Naming one filmmaker as the best of them all is a notable endorsement, especially when it comes with a hint of more to come.

For Flanagan, the timing is ideal. He has a fresh hit on Prime Video, a film in the pipeline and a long-awaited epic still on the horizon. If King’s mystery project turns out to be something new entirely, it will only add to an already busy run for the pair.

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