EXCLUSIVE: Carrie is heating up on Prime Video, and now the stars of another Stephen King adaptation are weighing whether their worlds could cross over.
The 1976 movie version starring Sissy Spacek is almost as iconic as the King novel it is based on, which came out two years earlier. This has made the property historically harder to re-adapt, as director Kimberly Peirce and her team learned with their mixed-reviewed 2013 version. Nonetheless, fearless horror extraordinaire Mike Flanagan took on the challenge, creating Prime Video's eight-part TV series. This iteration stars Summer H. Howell in the titular role, and features supporting performances from Siena Agudong, Josie Totah, Samantha Sloyan, Alison Thornton, and Amber Midthunder.
In an interview with ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns, The Institute stars Arlen So and Fionn Laird weighed in on Carrie's crossover potential. Laird seemed very interested in the idea of their show crossing over with the hit Prime Video series, saying, "Listen, Jack Bender, Mike Flanagan, let's make it happen. Let's make it happen. That's all I'll say." So agreed that "that'd be a dream, for sure. Like, surreal, and so cool."
This crossover idea comes as The Institute season 2 is about to debut on MGM+, a streaming service Amazon has owned for several years. After a successful season 1, the King adaptation returns for season 2 on Sunday, November 8, and airs episodes weekly through December 20. As of now, a third installment remains unconfirmed, as it will likely depend on a successful sophomore effort.
Carrie, meanwhile, premiered on Prime Video in a full-season drop on October 7. The show was a huge hit on Prime Video, drawing big viewership and earning strong critical reviews. At the time of writing, Carrie has a Certified Fresh 85% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.
As a result, Prime Video renewed Carrie for season 2, and development will be underway swiftly. Before the announcement, Flanagan teased his plans for a three-season series. As such, The Institute stars could cross over with Carrie season 2 next year if the creator considers expanding the worldbetween King's multiple stories.
Interestingly, Carrie introduced a secret organization of powerful women with psychic abilities and references the TK gene as a reason why people like the titular character have powers. The ending implies that season 2 will build on this idea, as Adelaide (Kate Siegel), who appears to be the leader, wants to recruit Carrie. Meanwhile, the protagonist is with an astral projectionist, Emaline (Thalia Dudek), who helped build her confidence throughout the series.
Thus, Carrie and The Institute would make particular sense as a crossover because of the prevailing theory that they are set in the same universe. While they don't share any characters directly, King's depictions of how psychic abilities affect children are eerily similar, which drives this theory forward.
Carrie's release has reignited this discussion. For this reason, a crossover episode between Carrie and The Institute would be a brilliant way to codify the existing similarities and deliver an undoubtedly exciting moment for horror television.