Mike Flanagan’s Carrie adaptation has added a new cast member in a role originally played by an Academy Award-winning actor and singer. Based on the 1974 novel of the same name, Brian de Palma’s Carrie movie was the first film adaptation of Stephen King’s work. Earning both critical and commercial success, as well as generating two Academy Award nominations, Carrie’s success would not only pave the way for future King adaptations, but it would also spawn a 1999 sequel, two remakes, and a stage musical. Plans for Flanagan’s television adaptation were first reported in October last year.
Per Deadline, the Prime Video adaptation of Carrie has tapped The 4:30 Movie’s Siena Agudong for the role of Sue Snell, the character previously played by Amy Irving in the 1976 version and Gabriella Wilde in the 2013 remake. This latest casting news follows on from reports that Flanagan was circling Summer H. Howell (Curse of Chucky, Cult of Chucky) for the title role. The report also notes that while a formal series pickup is yet to be announced, filming is expected to begin this summer in Vancouver.
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With this latest announcement coming hot on the heels of reports of Howell’s own potential casting, it would suggest that movement on Flanagan’s project has been picking up considerable speed since it was first revealed in October last year. With Flanagan also attached to another King adaptation for Prime Video, in the form of his Dark Tower series, as well as being tapped to helm a fresh take on The Exorcist, all signs would begin to point to Carrie taking the bulk of his attention for the near future.
Kandyse McClure played Sue Snell in the 2002 television movie remake of Carrie, while Irving also reprized the role for 1999’s The Rage: Carrie 2.
Meanwhile, Agudong’s new role will likely prove a significant departure for the young actor, who is known for her time in the Nickelodeon series Star Falls and the Disney Channel movie Upside-Down Magic. While Agudong has had some exposure to working in horror, thanks to Netflix’s Resident Evil series, her time spent in the genre is nowhere near as extensive as Howell, whose horror credits also include The Midnight Man, Hunter Hunter, Harland Manor, All Fun and Games, and the 2024 slasher Time Cut.
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Despite the bulk of Agudong’s acting experience having been spent working in comedy, this most recent casting will not only help to further broaden her exposure to the horror genre, but it will offer her a chance to put her spin on one of King’s most pivotal characters. While it is unclear how Flanagan will attempt to frame his retelling of King’s Carrie, in the original novel, many of the events are retold directly from Sue’s perspective, and she is one of the few characters seeking to make the tormented central character feel accepted.
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With Flanagan’s new Carrie adaptation taking the form of a television series, rather than a movie remake, the benefits of an extended runtime will likely offer Agudong a much greater ability to shape Sue’s character than has been afforded to any of her predecessors. Moreover, with Flanagan quickly becoming synonymous with his affinity for adapting King’s works, this upcoming show has the potential to outshine even the original 1976 movie, which is still regarded as one of the best Stephen King adaptations.
Source: Deadline