Yahoo Lifestyle Stephen King Series ‘The Institute’ Gets First Look From MGM+ as Director Jack Bender Explains Casting Older Than the Book: ‘We Didn’t Want It to Be a Sadistic Experience’
MGM+ previewed its upcoming thriller series “The Institute,” based on Stephen King’s 2019 novel, at Content London on Thursday.
During the panel — which included head of MGM+ Michael Wright, “The Institute” director and executive producer Jack Bender and creator and executive producer Benjamin Cavell — a full trailer for the series was played in addition to a sizzle reel of MGM+’s 2025 slate. They also announced for the first time that King has come on board the project as an executive producer.
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The trailer gave a first look at the Institute itself, a cement, brutalist-style building where kids with telekinetic powers are taken after being mysteriously abudcted. Luke, played by newcomer Joe Freeman, is seen meeting the fellow children in the Institute 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.
“You’re not kids, not here. There’s no bedtime, there’s no chores,” a sinister Parker says in the trailer as clips flash of the children being abused and tortured. “But here, if you break a rule, there’s grown-up consequences.”
“The Institute” cast also includes Ben Barnes, Simone Miller, Jason Diaz, Hannah Galway and Julian Richings.
In King’s original novel, Luke is 12 years old, but for the series he was aged up by a few years as were several other characters. Bender, who previously worked with King on “Mr. Mercedes,” explained during the panel why they made this decision.
“We were very aware of not wanting this to be as awful as it can be, what these kids go through,” he said. “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.”
Back in 2019, the rights to adapt “The Institute” were originally acquired by Spyglass with “Big Little Lies” creator David E. Kelley attached to write and executive produce alongside Bender, who is known for directing episodes of “Lost,” “Game of Thrones” and “The Sopranos.” After that version of the project was unable to get off the ground, MGM+ and Cavell came on board.
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