Stephen King’s The Dark Tower might never receive the series adaptation that Mike Flanagan wants to make. Not all is lost, however, and not even close. Very soon, Osgood Perkins’ graphic take on The Monkey will arrive in theaters, and this year, Max’s Welcome To Derry series will take fans back to the earlier terror wrought by Pennywise the Clown (still portrayed by Bill Skarsgård, whew).
As Constant Readers also know, King is not merely the “King of Horror.” His non-The Dark Tower fantasy novels (Rose Madder, anyone?) deserve more attention, and now, his sci-fi leanings will make their way onto the small screen. Let’s piece together what is known so far about MGM+’s The Institute.
Plot
This limited series filmed last year in Nova Scotia and revisits the concept of psychic abilities referred to as “The Shine.” Those qualities, of course, were most famously showcased in The Shining while afflicting young Danny Torrence, whose telepathy and ability to see spirits were targeted by the Overlook Hotel. Those issues carried into adulthood in Doctor Sleep, which didn’t hold back on revealing other variants of The Shine. With The Institute, as revealed by series creator Benjamin Cavell (via Variety), the abducted patients of a mysterious “cement, brutalist-style building” have degrees of “The Shine” including telekinetic powers.
At last December’s Content London gathering, Variety viewed a trailer that showed protagonist Luke (Joe Freeman) “as well as villain Ms. Sigsby (Mary-Louise Parker) for the first time, who encourages him that he is doing something good for the world as he is hooked up to machines and made to move objects.” Notably, the series has aged-up these characters a few years past their tween stage in the book because (as director Jack Bender revealed), “We didn’t want it to be a sadistic experience. There’s a fine line and, god knows, as storytellers we didn’t want to go there.”
A series synopsis was revealed by Deadline:
[W]hen 12-year-old genius Luke Ellis (Freeman) is kidnapped, he awakens at The Institute, a facility full of children who all got there the same way he did, and who are all possessed of unusual abilities. In a nearby town, haunted former police officer Tim Jamieson (Barnes) has come looking to start a new life, but the peace and quiet won’t last, as his story and Luke’s are destined to collide.
Cast
Joe Freeman stars alongside Mary-Louise Parker, Ben Barnes, Jason Diaz, and Simone Miller. Series regulars will include Hannah Galway, Fionn Lard, Julian Richings, Viggo Hanvelt, Robert Joy, Martin Roach, Arlen So, Birva Pandya, Dan Beirne, and Jane Luk.
Release Date
This eight episode series will stream in 2025 with no further detail yet.
Trailer
MGM+ hasn’t publicly released the trailer described by Variety, so let’s revisit Danny Torrence hearing about “The Shine” from Hallorann (who returns later in Doctor Sleep) in The Shining.
