We don’t want to presume, but Mike Flanagan has had such a horrifyingly massive to-do list lately that we’re wondering if he’s resorted to supernatural methods to get through it all. With his Carrie series on Prime Video just around the corner and the filmmaker currently in production on new Exorcist movie, he’s also mapping out his version of The Mist, which was previously brought to life by Frank Darabont in 2007. What’s perhaps even more impressive is that he promises it won’t be anything like it, either.
Speaking with Collider about the project, Flanagan acknowledged what came before and said the script he’s writing deviates massively from Darabont’s version. “The differences start page 1. I’m writing it now,” he assured. Additionally, the director seemingly can’t keep quiet about his plans and was quick to share with fans on BlueSky why he approached the project in the first place. “The Mist is going to be great,” he promised. “If there wasn’t an excellent answer to ‘why’, I wouldn’t do it.”
When asked what he thought about Darabont’s version, who had also spent some time in Stephen King’s work after directing The Mist, The Green Mile, and that fairly popular one about the Shawshank prison, Flanagan had nothing but good things to say. “I love Darabont’s film, and there’s zero point in remaking it. Which is why I’m going in a different direction.”
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It might be a long way off, but whatever Flanagan finds in The Mist, comparisons will be inevitable, which led one fan to ask if that was ever a concern. The director admitted that at this point in his career, it barely registered, which feels kind of understandable. After you’ve directed a sequel to The Shining, is pressure even a thing anymore? “I learned a long ago never to try to predict what the fans will or won’t argue about (everybody needs to relax, frankly; I just saw a whole chain of people foaming at the mouth over fan-made AI slop posters for The Exorcist)… but yeah, this isn’t a retread. The differences start page 1.”
For now, The Mist is somewhere in the distance and might take a while to get here. In the meantime, you’ll be able to see how Flanagan handles Stephen King’s legendary telepathic terror, Carrie, when it arrives on Prime Video on October 9. For new TV shows to watch in 2026, check out our guide.
