Another Stephen King Book Headed for Series on MGM Plus

MGM Plus has ordered The Institute, a thriller based on a Stephen King novel, for a series. Ben Barnes and Mary-Louise Parker will star, and Jack Bender and Benjamin Cavell will produce.

The show shoots in Nova Scotia later this year.

There will be eight episodes.

When 12-year-old genius Luke is kidnapped, he awakens at The Institute, a facility full of children who all got there the same way he did, and who all possess unusual abilities. “In a nearby town, haunted former police officer Tim Jamieson 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,” said MGM Plus.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work again with Stephen King. And The Institute, based on his critically acclaimed novel, is an exciting addition to the MGM Plus original series slate,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM Plus. “There is no creative team I would trust more to bring the book to life than Jack and Ben, whose creative vision and love of Mr. King’s voice, will bring this thought-provoking and gut-wrenching story to life, in the engaging, cinematic, and thrilling style MGM Plus  viewers expect.”

Barnes plays Jamieson, an ex-cop who starts poking around on Luke’s disappearance.

Parker plays Ms. Sigsby, director of The Institute and believer in its iniquitous mission.

The novel was published in 2019. It has a 4.2 rating, out of 5, on GoodReads.

“I’m delighted and excited at the prospect of The Institute, with its high-intensity suspense, being filmed as a series,” said King. “The combination of Jack Bender and Ben Cavell guarantees that the results will be terrific.”

A King short story was the inspiration for Chapelwaite, which went one season on Epix, which transitioned to MGM Plus. 

Other King works that ended up as TV series include The Outsider on HBO, Castle Rock on Hulu and Under the Dome on CBS and Prime Video.