Summary
- Director Mike Flanagan found lead actor Summer H. Howell for Carrie after 1,800 auditions.
- Howell's performance in Carrie will be unlike any other portrayal of the character.
- The Carrie adaptation on Prime Video will boast an impressive cast, including Matthew Lillard.
Mike Flanagan has given fans an insight into the exhausting casting process for his Stephen King adaptation of the Carrie Prime Video series, while also teasing a "new take" from its lead actor. With a host of adaptations that include the in-development The Dark Tower, the soon-to-be-released The Life of Chuck, and the currently untitled The Exorcist movie, Mike Flanagan is one of the busiest filmmakers around at the moment. Even though the director boasts a list of impressive adaptations, it's King's classic 1974 novel, Carrie, that many horror fans are looking forward to witnessing most on the small screen.
Published in 1974, Carrie was Stephen King's very first novel that was published and then later turned into a movie starring Sissy Spacek in 1976, which told the story of an introverted teenager with unbelievable psychic powers, brought to the surface due to a series of humiliating events. The director of the original Carrie movie, Brian De Palma, toned down some of the scenes from the book, in particular the moment where Carrie kills her mother by stomping on her heart, which was replaced by the troubled teen stopping her mothers heart with her powers instead, due to De Palma believing it wouldn't translate well on screen. To get into the role of Carrie for her audition, Spacek made herself look pretty terrible, wearing an old, tattered dress and not brushing her teeth beforehand. The movie's makeup staff even tried to fix her up because they didn't realize Spacek actually did it deliberately. Thankfully, her forward-thinking landed her the lead part, leading the actor to be nominated for six Oscars.
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Mike Flanagan Reveals the Hardship of Finding Lead Actor in New Carrie Adaptation
Talking in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter (via ScreenRant), Mike Flanagan discussed the process of casting the Carrie TV show's lead actor and how the team had to go through 1,800 different auditions for the role. However, Flanagan revealed that even though it was a lengthy endeavor, in the end, he was very happy that they had found their star in Summer H. Howell. The director also disclosed to eager fans that Howell's performance would be "unlike anything that anyone's ever done with the part before," stating that he was excited for fans to finally be able to see it.
"I think we looked at 1,800 different candidates for that role. It was an exhaustive process. Ultimately, I think we ended up with the right actor for the part. It took a long time to find her, and I can't wait for people to see what she's doing, because it's unlike anything that anyone's ever done with the part before."
Along with Howell, the Carrie adaptation will also star Samantha Sloyan as Carrie’s religious fanatic mother, Margaret White, Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen, Thalia Dudek as Emaline, Siena Agudong as Sue Snell, Amber Midthunder as Miss Desjardin, Josie Totah as Tina, Arthur Conti as Billy, Joel Oulette as Tommy, and Scream star Matthew Lillard as Principal Grayle. Carrie's debut on Prime Video is expected to be released next year in 2026, and having such a brilliant line-up of actors should prove this time around to be compelling viewing, especially given Flanagan's previous success with projects like The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and Doctor Sleep.
Currently, Carrie does not yet have a premiere window, but when it does release, it will stream exclusively on Prime Video.
Cast
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Siena AgudongSue Snell -
Summer H. HowellCarrie White
-
Matthew LillardPrincipal Grayle -
Samantha SloyanMargaret White
- Creator(s)
- Mike Flanagan
Source: ScreenRant/The Hollywood Reporter