In the eight episodes of The Institute, twelve-year-old genius Luke Ellis is kidnapped. He awakens in a facility full of children who all ended up there the same way he did and who all possess unusual gifts. In a nearby town, troubled former police officer Tim Jamieson (Barnes, pictured left) has come to start a new life, but the peace won't last long as his story and Luke's are destined to collide.
Parker (pictured right), who sources say has a one-year contract, will play Mrs. Sigsby, the institute's charming but quirky director and a true believer in its hideous mission. She is sure that history will see her as a hero.
Tim Jamieson (Barnes) is a disillusioned ex-cop who takes a job as a night watchman in a small town and retreats from the world until Luke's plight breathes new life into him and gives him something to believe in.
“I’m delighted and excited at the prospect of The Institute, with its high-intensity suspense, being filmed as a series,” King said. “The combination of Jack Bender and Ben Cavell guarantees that the results will be terrific.”
The Institute follows another MGM+ series based on King's literary work, Chapelwaite.
“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+ original series slate,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “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+ viewers expect.”
Bender has extensive experience with series adaptations of King's work, having produced CBS's Under the Dome, Mr. Mercedes from Audience Network, where Parker was part of the cast for the first season and HBO's The Outsider (2020). At MGM+ he is also director/executive producer of the hit series From, which King counts as one of his fans.
When The Institute was released in 2019, it was originally acquired by Spyglass for the Mr. Mercedes team of writer/executive producer David E. Kelley and executive producer Bender. This is a new incarnation of the project with a new writer and studio.
“I’m thrilled that Stephen King has entrusted me with another of his brilliant novels and continuing the extraordinary creative relationship with Michael Wright and MGM+,” Bender said. “Working alongside Ben Cavell and a team of exceptional writers, to tell the story of these uniquely gifted children, will ensure a suspenseful and engrossing series.”
Cavell also adapted King's novel The Stand into the 2020 Paramount+ miniseries of the same name.
“It is my great honor to have another chance to adapt Stephen King, who has been generous and collaborative beyond my wildest imaginings,” he said. “Also, the opportunity to work with Jack Bender, who has directed some of my all-time favorite television, is truly a dream come true. I couldn’t be more grateful to Michael Wright and MGM for putting this team together.”
Barnes played the lead role of General Kirigan in Netflix's Shadow and Bone. He also guest-starred in two Netflix anthology series, Black Mirror and Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. Other roles include Marvel's The Punisher and HBO's Westworld.
Parker stars in Paramount Global's upcoming series The Gray House. She became known to the general television audience for her role as Nancy Botwin in Showtime's dark comedy-drama Weeds. Other roles include in Mr. Mercedes from Audience Network, Billions from Showtime and The Blacklist from NBC.
