POWERS THAT BE

SHOWRUNNER JACK BENDER TUNES INTO STEPHEN KING'S FREQUENCY FOR THE INSTITUTE, A SERIES ABOUT KIDS WITH PSYCHIC ABILITIES

- JAMIE GRAHAM

OVER THE LAST DECADE, Mike Flanagan has become the go-to director for Stephen King adaptations, convincingly bringing Gerald's Game, Doctor Sleep and The Life Of Chuck (in cinemas in August) to the screen. But there's another name that is becoming synonymous with King: Jack Bender, who worked as executive producer on the TV shows Under The Dome, Mr Mercedes and The Outsider. And while Flanagan currently has a Carrie series in development at Amazon, Bender has beaten him to the punch with his own adaptation of a King novel about kids with psychic powers, The Institute.

"Stephen sent me the galleys for [2019 novel] The Institute," says Bender, who's also directed episodes of The Sopranos, Lost and Game Of Thrones. "He loved, loved, loved Mr Mercedes. When we first discussed Mr Mercedes, he asked whether it should be a movie or a series. I said to him, 'Stephen, this first book is 600 pages, chock-full of brilliant characters. We need to spend time [with them].' It felt that way with The Institute, too, because I didn't want to just do an X-kids movie."

The Institute tracks teen genius Luke Ellis (Joe Freeman). Kidnapped from his home in suburban Minneapolis, he awakens in the titular structure in Maine, one of several kids who find themselves contained, having exhibited mild telepathic or telekinetic abilities (a tray that wobbles then flips in an early scene in a diner recalls the ashtray in the principal's office in Brian De Palma's Carrie). The director of the Institute, Ms Sigsby (Mary-Louise Parker), oversees a series of experiments designed to unleash the kids' powers. Once the TPs and TKs, as they're known, gain a certain strength, they're moved from the Front Half of the building to the Back Half - never to be seen again. Luke soon comes to believe that their collective abilities are being weaponised.