Horror mastermind Mike Flanagan is diving back into the world of Stephen King, and he is opening up about why he decided to tackle a story that has been told many times before. While Flanagan has historically avoided remakes and sequels, he revealed that his upcoming eight-episode limited series for Amazon offered an opportunity he simply couldn’t pass up.

Production on the series wrapped in October, and Flanagan recently explained to Empire Magazine that a “timely and new” approach to the 1974 novel made the project irresistible. Although the story of Carrie White has seen four film adaptations and even a stage musical, Flanagan felt there was still a fresh way into the material that hadn’t been explored in the last 50 years.

This isn’t the first time Stephen King’s writing has convinced Flanagan to break his personal “no sequels” rule. He previously pivoted for Doctor Sleep, noting that because King wrote a sequel to The Shining focused on recovery, it allowed him to complete a narrative arc rather than just retreading old ground. He seems to have found a similar spark for Carrie, which is being described as a reimagining of the misfit teen’s life following the sudden death of her father.

The cast for the series is already generating significant buzz. Summer Howell will take on the iconic role of Carrie White, starring alongside Matthew Lillard as Principal Grayle and Samantha Sloyan as Margaret White. The ensemble also features a “who’s who” of Flanagan’s frequent collaborators, including Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, and Katee Sackhoff. Fans of Trevor Decker News can expect a dark, telekinetic journey when the series finally hits Amazon.