After 50 years, Carrie White is taking on another form with Mike Flanagan’s series adaptation of Stephen King’s debut horror novel.
In Prime Video’s Carrie, all episodes premiering Oct. 7, Summer H. Howell plays the title role of the telekinetic prom queen, taking the torch (so to speak) from Sissy Spacek, who originated the character in Brian De Palma’s 1976 adaptation, before Angela Bettis and Chloë Grace Moretz would go on to deliver their own portrayals of Carrie.
In King’s ’76 novel, Carrie White is a teen outcast with a religious zealot mother, Margaret, who shields her from the world until a vicious school prank forces her into the public eye. When new friend Sue Snell convinces her boyfriend Tommy Ross to take Carrie to prom so she can have a night of youthful fun for once, mean girl Chris Hargensen and her delinquent boyfriend Billy Nolan devise a plan to publicly embarrass her at the big dance, which triggers Carrie’s dormant psychic powers with deadly consequences.
RELATED: ‘Carrie’s Summer H. Howell & Mike Flanagan “Agreed It Was Better” For Her Not To Watch 1976 Movie First — Toronto Studio
With the fourth live-action adaptation of King’s classic upon us, audiences will be introduced to all new versions of Carrie, Margaret, Sue, Tommy, Chris and more.
Scroll on to see who plays who in Mike Flanagan’s Prime Video series adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie, available to stream on Oct. 7, as well as who played the role before them.
-
Carrie White
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection/NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection/Michael Gibson/Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection/Robert Falconer/Prime Video After originating the role with the Brian De Palma-helmed 1976 adaptation, Sissy Spacek’s breakout performance in the first Carrie became synonymous with the role.
In 2002, Angela Bettis took on the character in NBC’s TV movie adaptation, before Chloë Grace Moretz updated the character for the digital age in Sony’s 2013 big-screen take from director Kimberly Peirce.
With Mike Flanagan taking over the source material for the Prime Video series, Summer H. Howell (Curse of Chucky, Cult of Chucky) was cast as Carrie last August, bringing a refreshing sense of optimism to the role as the series fleshes out the ’74 book and introduces elements familiar to today’s youth.
-
Margaret White
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection/NBC/Michael Gibson/Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection/Robert Falconer/Prime Video Following Piper Laurie’s iconically chilling performance as matriarch Margaret White in the 1976 original, Patricia Clarkson took on the role for the 2002 TV movie, with Julianne Moore giving her portrayal in the 2017 movie.
In the latest adaptation, Samantha Sloyan (Midnight Mass, The Life of Chuck) teams up with frequent collaborator Mike Flanagan to bring a more maternal touch to the role, which has long been played with a cold harshness.
-
Sue Snell
Image Credit: United Artists/NBC/Michael Gibson/Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection/Robert Falconer/Prime Video Starring as reformed mean girl Sue Snell in the original movie was Amy Irving, before Kandyse McClure took on the character in 2002, followed by Gabriella Wilde in 2017.
In Prime’s Carrie, Siena Agudong (F9, Netflix’s Resident Evil) plays Carrie’s new friend, whose realtor mom pushes her to hang out with the new girl after she and her mother are found locked in a closet following her father’s death.
-
Chris Hargensen
Image Credit: United Artists/NBC/Michael Gibson/Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection/Robert Falconer/Prime Video In 1976, Nancy Allen originated the role of Carrie’s bully Chris Hargensen in perfect ’70s mean girl fashion, with Emilie de Ravin and Portia Doubleday bringing their own brands of onscreen cruelty to the character in subsequent versions.
While Mike Flanagan’s Carrie doesn’t paint Chris as any less of a mean girl, Alison Thornton (School Spirits, Elle) plays her with the added depth allowed by the show’s eight-episode run, diving more into her troubled home life.
-
Miss Desjardin
Image Credit: United Artists/NBC/Sony Pictures/Robert Falconer/Prime Originated by the great Betty Buckley in 1976, Miss Desjardins has always been Carrie’s strongest ally, played by Rena Sofer in 2002 and Judy Greer in 2013.
In Prime Video’s Carrie, Mike Flanagan proves that teachers have a life outside of school, giving Amber Midthunder’s Rita Desjardin a rich personal life that heads for its own tailspin as she attempts to get through to Carrie before something bad happens.
-
Tommy Ross
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection/NBC/Sony Pictures/Robert Falconer/Prime Way back when ruffled tuxedo shirts were in style, William Katt was the first to play Sue’s kindhearted boyfriend Tommy Ross.
Following Tobias Mehler and Ansel Elgort’s portrayal of the prom king back in 2002 and 2013, Joel Oulette is taking on the character in Mike Flanagan’s series.
-
Billy Nolan
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection/NBC/Michael Gibson/Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection/Robert Falconer/Prime Two years before he was singing “Greased Lightnin’”, John Travolta had another memorable onscreen auto moment in the 1976 adaptation of Carrie, playing Chris’ deranged boyfriend Billy Nolan.
After Jesse Cadotte and Alex Russell played the delinquent in 2002 and 2013, Mike Flanagan sheds some more light on the character’s relationship with Chris, casting Arthur Conti as Billy.
-
Tina Blake/Norma Watson
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection/NBC/NBC/Sony Pictures/Robert Falconer/Prime Video While the book introduces Tina Blake and Norma Watson as two separate members of the prom committee, the characters are often treated as interchangeable mean girls in the movies.
In 1976, P.J. Soles originated the role of Norma with her memorable red baseball cap, while Marina Christian gives an uncredited performance as Tina (renamed to Mary for the film) with no lines.
The 2002 TV movie version was the only time we got both, with Katharine Isabelle as Tina and Meghan Black as Norma. In 2013, Zoë Belkin played Tina, with no Norma this time around.
In Prime Video’s Carrie, Josie Totah (Faces of Death, Saved by the Bell) takes on the role of Tina with a humorous update on the mean girl.
-
Principal Grayle/Mr. Morton
Image Credit: United Artists/NBC/Sony Pictures/Robert Falconer/Prime Video Another pair of characters that has been mostly interchangeable in onscreen versions is Principal Henry Grayle and his assistant Mr. Morton, with only the latter appearing in adaptations until now.
With Stefan Gierasch originating Mr. Morton in the 1976 movie, it appeared that the character got a promotion in the absence of Principal Grayle. Laurie Murdoch and Barry Shabaka Henley played Morton in the 2002 and 2013 versions.
In Mike Flanagan’s Carrie, Matthew Lillard originates the role of Principal Grayle, who is painted as a very concerned adult trying to understand the horrors teenagers face in high schools of today. Meanwhile, Tim Bagley plays guidance counselor Peter Morton.
