The revelation came during an interview with Collider‘s Perri Nemiroff at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Flanagan was asked how many seasons he would make if the choice were entirely his.
“In my dream scenario, I think it’s three seasons,” Flanagan said. “In my dream scenario, I think Carrie has a wonderful three-step arc. It’s a trilogy, really.”
For now, that trilogy exists only in Flanagan’s head. Prime Video has not announced a renewal or described the series as the start of a multi-season story, and the eight-episode first season was built to stand on its own while covering the events of King’s 1974 novel. Any seasons beyond that would have to move past the book’s famous ending into uncharted territory.
TDN has been tracking the series closely: Flanagan’s reimagining moves King’s story into the social media age, with Summer H. Howell as Carrie White and Samantha Sloyan as her mother, Margaret, and early reviews have been glowing. All eight episodes premiere on Prime Video on October 7.
Update (October 1): TIME TV critic Judy Berman has delivered one of the strongest notices yet for the series, calling it “the first worthwhile adaptation in 50 years” and praising how it finally steps out from under the shadow of Brian De Palma’s film. Berman singles out Summer H. Howell as a “movingly fragile” Carrie, an almost saintly figure who believes in kindness above all, while noting the eight episodes can feel a bit cluttered with framing devices.