Few filmmakers understand that true horror comes with a side of heartbreak quite like Mike Flanagan. From the grief-soaked terror of The Haunting of Hill House to the unsettling religious mysteries of Midnight Mass, the filmmaker has made emotional devastation his calling card. His acclaimed Stephen King adaptations, including Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, cemented his reputation as a master of literary nightmares. Now, Flanagan appears ready to take a bite out of Jaws, suggesting its sequels could use a little work.

A Flanagan take on the great white shark sounds wonderfully wicked, but his own pitch for Jaws makes the prospect even tastier.

Mike Flanagan has his eyes on Jaws, and the horror maestro already knows where its successors went wrong. During a Reddit AMA hosted by Prime Video to promote his upcoming Carrie adaptation, the filmmaker revealed his desire to tackle the legendary shark franchise after finishing his work on The Exorcist. However, he knows that following Steven Spielberg is no small feat.

“Honestly, I wish to hell I could make a Jaws movie. Another example where no one will EVER get close to the original, but there is a ton of room for improvement on the sequels,” he said.

That is quite the challenge for a filmmaker who thrives on turning familiar nightmares into deeply unsettling experiences. While Spielberg made the original Jaws a masterclass in suspense, its successors struggled to recreate the magic, sacrificing compelling character dynamics and creeping dread for increasingly outlandish plots. Jaws: The Revenge even gave its shark a seemingly personal vendetta against the Brody family.

Flanagan could bring precisely the psychological tension and character-driven storytelling that the sequels sorely lacked. The original thrived on the chemistry between Chief Brody, Quint, and Hooper, alongside Spielberg’s ingenious decision to let anticipation do much of the terrifying work. A fresh take from Flanagan, as he suggested in the Reddit AMA, could explore what made the original so effective without trying to outswim its legacy.

Loved ‘The Haunting of Hill House’? Watch These 4 Mike Flanagan Thrillers Next

With Carrie already taking over Rotten Tomatoes, one wonders if Mike Flanagan would bring the same changes to Jaws.

Mike Flanagan has given Carrie White a rather unexpected makeover, and the changes go far beyond a fresh coat of horror. In his 2026 adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, Carrie is more open and optimistic, while Margaret White’s abuse stems from anxious, suffocating love rather than pure religious fanaticism. The mother also possesses telekinetic abilities of her own, dramatically changing their dynamic.

The biggest departure arrives at prom, where Carrie survives the carnage instead of meeting the tragic fate audiences expect. Flanagan expands the story into a supernatural mythology involving a genetic lineage of psychic women, connecting Carrie to a much larger world beyond her hometown. With Carrie already making waves on Rotten Tomatoes, these bold reinventions raise an intriguing question about how Flanagan might reshape Jaws.

“Very Much Not Mine” – Mike Flanagan Clears the Air on His Connection to DC’s ‘Clayface’

Would you like Mike Flanagan to work on a Jaws movie? Let us know in the comments!