Mike Flanagan Reveals How His ‘Carrie’ Reboot Connects to Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower’

Whether it’s The Shining, The Green Mile, The Stand, or IT, everyone has a favorite Stephen King story. Few authors have delivered so many memorable classics that choosing a favorite can feel nearly impossible.

One of the most exciting aspects of King’s work, however, is the way his stories connect through references, recurring characters, locations, and Easter eggs.

In that regard, there’s arguably no more important narrative in his catalog than The Dark Tower.

King’s sprawling fantasy saga stands on its own as a compelling story, blending elements of fantasy, Westerns, horror, and the supernatural. But the series also serves as a connective tissue for dozens of King’s other stories, with the titular Tower both literally and figuratively connecting the author’s sprawling fictional worlds.

How Carrie Connects to The Dark Tower

In Mike Flanagan’s new Carrie reboot for Prime Video, the filmmaker found a way to honor The Dark Tower while expanding the connections between King’s stories.

In a new interview with TV Insider, Flanagan offered more insight into how the upcoming series fits into King’s larger universe.

“The beautiful thing about Stephen King is that the connections between the universe that he’s built are some of the most fun, as lovers of Stephen King, that you get to make those connections,” the filmmaker revealed.

“I do think this all exists on a certain level of the Tower, and Carrie’s place in that bigger world is something he hints at very much in the book. It was really exciting for us to be able to do that in practice and to really go into that.”

What’s worth noting, however, is that King’s original Carrie novel predates the publication of his Dark Tower series. That means the original novel contains no overt connections to the fantasy saga.

Flanagan’s adaptation can approach the material differently.

Carrie White’s telekinetic abilities already provide an intriguing connection to other corners of King’s mythology, allowing the filmmaker to lean further into the idea that these seemingly separate stories exist within a larger shared universe.

Mike Flanagan Is Also Developing The Dark Tower

It’s also worth pointing out that, while Flanagan is quite busy, he is also attached to an adaptation of The Dark Tower.

That makes Carrie an especially interesting entry point for the filmmaker as he continues developing King’s sprawling mythology.

Funny enough, Carrie stars Samantha Sloyan and Summer H. Howell, and both actresses have already weighed in on their hopes of joining Flanagan’s The Dark Tower adaptation.

“Maybe some of the stuff in the plate throwers, maybe there’s some more in that [for me],” Sloyan shared with Bloody Disgusting. “That’s one of the fun things about Mike, is sometimes he hears your voice in a character that you would have never expected for yourself. So I’d be really interested to know what he heard me as.”

Howell, meanwhile, already feels honored to get to play Carrie White.

“I am about to finish the first book of the whole Dark Tower series, so I don’t know yet,” she admitted. “I feel greedy trying to pick another character. I’m already Carrie and I’m very happy with that, so I don’t know. I just want to be along for the ride, even if I’m watching you all do it.”

With Flanagan developing both Carrie and The Dark Tower, King fans may have plenty of opportunities to spot connections between the two projects.

Carrie is now streaming on Prime Video.