Mike Flanagan Officially Confirms Dark Tower Connections In New Stephen King Series

4 hours ago 20

Samantha Sloyan and Summer H. Howell in Carrie

Published Oct 28, 2026, 3:26 PM EDT

Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour.

Mike Flanagan, who created Prime Video's new adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie, just confirmed how the series connects to The Dark Tower.

Ever since the novel Carrie was released in 1974, King has written countless other books and created an ever-expanding shared universe across his stories. The Dark Tower, which began in 1982, aimed to bind the universe together and prevent it all from being destroyed. King published seven more books in the series as well as a novella.

Flanagan has adapted other King stories before, like Gerald's Game, Doctor Sleep, The Life of Chuck, and now Carrie. He's also set to create a new Dark Tower series for Prime Video, the same streaming platform that released Carrie.

With all of this experience in the King universe, and with The Dark Tower forthcoming, Flanagan opened up to Gold Derby about the connections to that sprawling series that are embedded within his remake of Carrie.

He said, "Dark Tower fans are going to love the signage at the place where Ralph White works," referring to LaMerk Industries, the corporation that has ties to the Crimson King in The Dark Tower series.

Carrie White's father, Ralph White, dies on the job while working as a construction worker. This major tragedy sets off an entire chain of events that forces his widow, Margaret White, to re-enter society and get a job, and for Carrie to go to public school for the very first time.

The teenager experiences horrendous bullying, which is blown up on a bigger scale due to social media, an aspect of the story that couldn't have been shown in the first Carrie film or even the original novel.

As the bullying worsens, Carrie discovers that she has telekinetic powers, which she uses to her advantage throughout the season, culminating in the iconic prom scene that sees Chris Hargensen and Billy Nolan dumping pig's blood on the girl when she accepts the title of prom queen. Chaos takes over as Carrie is set on enacting revenge.

Carrie season 1 ends with Carrie surviving (unlike the book) and riding out of town with Emaline West, creating the opportunity for Flanagan to continue exploring this story and the potential to incorporate other elements from King's stories.

However, the TV creator made it a point to say that the Dark Tower Easter eggs in the first season were meant to be kept "in the background."

Mike Flanagan: “Dark Tower fans are going to love the signage at the place where Ralph White works. But we tried to keep that kind of stuff in the background.”

Speaking of which, Flanagan would also love to adapt King's Hearts in Atlantis anthology, which has direct connections to The Dark Tower via the short story "Low Men in Yellow Coats."

Carrie season 1 didn't include any references to Atlantis, but he has such an appreciation for it that it could be a part of his filmography in the future. Flanagan added, "All of the stories in Hearts in Atlantis are so gorgeously connected, and the fact that it touches the Dark Tower is even better."

Mike Flanagan: “That’s one of my favorite books of his. I would love to take a crack at adapting it, because the other movie only did one-fifth of it. All of the stories in Hearts in Atlantis are so gorgeously connected, and the fact that it touches the Dark Tower is even better.”

As King's shared universe continues to grow via these adaptations, Carrie season 2 could see even more connections.

There is plenty of speculation from fans about what King novels could be embedded into the series going forward, including a theory that Chris' soul gets transported into the red car she and Billy were in when they died, leading to King's 1983 novel Christine playing a role on the show next season.

It was only just days ago that Prime Video renewed Carrie, so a production timeline and release date are not known at this time.

It may be a while before fans get the answers they're looking for and see even more Easter eggs from the wider King universe, but Flanagan has a three-season vision for Carrie that he hopes to see through to the finish line in the years to come.