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Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns.
Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies.
After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back.
Mike Flanagan's upcoming take on a highly-acclaimed Stephen King book has the perfect opportunity to break a long-standing adaptation rule of the author's work.
Although Mike Flanagan has previously drawn from many literary works in his movies and shows, none of his works come off as loyal, direct adaptations. More often than not, the horror director either gives classic horror stories a more contemporary twist or spins their elements in a personal, relatable yarn that reinterprets the source material.
Flanagan will likely pull off something similar with his upcoming Stephen King adaptation and has the chance to even change how we see adaptations of the author's work on the small-screen.
Since Stephen King is the most adapted living author of all time by a massive margin, it is hard to put a number on how many times his works have been translated to the big and small screens. Some of his books even have multiple adaptations and will likely get more in the near future. Interestingly, though, not a single Stephen King movie or show adopts a found footage format.
Given how Stephen King has touted The Blair Witch Project as one of the scariest movies he has seen, it is ironic how none of his works have been approached with the found footage lens.
Mike Flanagan's upcoming take on Carrie, however, could finally change this. Stephen King's original Carrie book follows a unique epistolary storytelling format where it uses "found" items, like newspaper clippings, book excerpts from survivors, court transcripts, and telegrams, to recite its story. This gives its adaptation the perfect opportunity to bring a found footage spin on the original story.
Mike Flanagan, too, seems to have hinted how his take on the novel could have found footage elements. For instance, he has revealed how his show will be more of a modern take on Carrie, where bullying can be both permanent and digital.
In an interview (via MovieWeb), he also specifically highlighted how "the iconic scene in the locker room is very different when people have phones in their hands." While it is still unclear whether Flanagan will take an all-out found footage approach with the series, his statements suggest he will embrace the book's epistolary storytelling.
This alone would give it a found footage edge that no other Stephen King adaptations have previously embraced.
Custome Image by Yeider ChaconIn Stephen King's Carrie, the central town of Chamberlain is revealed to be destroyed after the climactic Prom Night incident. The book highlights that, in current times, Chamberlain is nothing but a ghost town after the disaster. All previous adaptations of Carrie have barely focused on this detail and interpreted the novel as a "live" teen horror drama.
If Mike Flanagan embraces the book's approach and does not tread the same path as the movies, his show's found footage elements could truly elevate it above every Stephen King adaptation out there.
We got some unique and incredibly creative adaptations of Stephen King's work in 2025. However, it is hard not to notice how almost all movies and shows based on Stephen King's works instill a sense of familiarity. If Mike Flanagan's Carrie turns out to be a found footage show, it could finally break Stephen King adaptations out of their familiar formula.
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