Stephen King's The Institute shares eerie first look at MGM Plus adaptation

Prime Video’s Carrie series is heating up, but it isn’t the only Stephen King adaptation Amazon has brewing. It’s not even its only series about telekinesis. MGM+ (an Amazon subsidiary) just released a first look at The Institute, Jack Bender’s new take on King’s 2019 novel, which is just as creepy and sterile as fans may have hoped.

Per its logline, The Institute follows the story of “teen genius Luke Ellis (Joe Freeman) who is kidnapped and 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 (Ben 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.”

But while the series promises to be far from sunny—this is the guy who dreamed up It, after all—it could have been even bleaker. “We were very aware of not wanting this to be as awful as it can be, what these kids go through,” Bender said of his decision to age many of the kids up by a few years, per Variety. “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.”

Bender knows just how sadistic King can be. He previously directed several episodes of Under The Dome for CBS, as well as the miniseries Mr. Mercedes for the former Audience Network, both of which were based on King stories. The prolific author will additionally serve as an executive producer on The Institute. Bender’s impressive résumé also includes episodes of The Sopranos, Alias, Lost, Game Of Thrones, and From. 

The Institute premieres July 13 on MGM+. Check out the first look images below: