Credit: Jessica Miglio/Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Published Feb 21, 2026, 9:30 PM EST
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.
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Once Mike Flanagan has adapted his upcoming takes on The Mist and Carrie, he must finally double-down on his highly-anticipated take on a Stephen King story.
Mike Flanagan's journey as a horror filmmaker is about to get even more exciting with his new adaptations of Stephen King's The Mist and Carrie. While he has dabbled with Stephen King adaptations in the past, these upcoming projects have a lot more mainstream appeal because they have been remade multiple times.
It is hard not to be excited about what Flanagan will bring to the table with his new Stephen King show and movie. At the same time, though, as a fan of his work and Stephen King's books, I cannot help but hope he will soon return to his "holy grail" Stephen King project.
The Mist & Carrie Can Be Perfect Stepping Stones For Mike Flanagan To Adapt The Dark Tower
Mike Flanagan is no stranger to Stephen King adaptations. In the past, not all of his takes on Stephen King's works have been massive hits. However, almost all of them have earned critical acclaim. He has already adapted the "unadaptable" Gerald’s Game. Even his take on the impossible sequel, Doctor Sleep, is considered one of the best Stephen King movies. He also managed to get the genre-bender, The Life of Chuck, right.
With his Carrie adaptation, he seems all set to prove that, regardless of how many times a Stephen King book has been adapted before, he can bring something new with his unique filmmaking vision.
Mike Flanagan has called The Dark Tower his "Holy Grail of a project." (via Deadline)
Similarly, if his upcoming adaptation of The Mist works out well, it could prove that Flanagan can also get out of his comfort zone and dabble with more Lovecraftian horror. Owing to this, both Carrie and The Mist seem like the perfect stepping stones for Mike Flanagan to level up his Stephen King adaptation game before he can finally double down on giving us a Dark Tower TV series.
Why Mike Flanagan’s Dark Tower Adaptation Is Taking So Long
As Mike Flanagan has himself revealed, Dark Tower is more of an oil tanker in terms of development because of all the logistical challenges he must overcome to make it happen. Since Dark Tower includes an entire hub of Stephen King characters, Flanagan requires access to the rights to several characters that are owned by different studios.
Given how The Dark Tower cannot be wrapped in one or two seasons, it is one project that will require long-term commitment from the director.
Owing to this, Flanagan will first have to clear his schedule and complete several other adaptations and remakes that are already under his belt before he can focus on The Dark Tower. An adaptation of The Dark Tower books will also have prestige TV potential and will be met with high expectations.
This is why Mike Flanagan cannot take the Stephen King adaptation lightly and must approach it with the same patience and long-term storytelling commitment that the sprawling source material demands. Still, though, after Carrie and The Mist, it is hard not to hope Flanagan will double down on his efforts to make The Dark Tower happen.
The Dark Tower is a multimedia franchise based on Stephen King's epic series of eight novels. The story follows Roland Deschain, the last of the Gunslingers, as he embarks on a quest to reach the Dark Tower, a mystical structure that stands at the center of all worlds and realities. The series blends elements of dark fantasy, horror, science fiction, and Western genres. Over the years, the franchise has expanded beyond the original books to include a film, comic books, and upcoming TV adaptations, making it one of King's most ambitious and interconnected works.
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