'Brilliant' Stephen King thriller series that 'hooked' terrified fans confirms future

Amazon Prime fans will be delighted to know that The Institute will be returning to our screens very soon after it was greenlit to be renewed for a brand new second series.

The first series was largely based on Stephen King's horrifying best-selling 2019 novel which follows the story of a telekinetic teenage boy who is abducted by a shadowy organisation.

It stars Ben Barnes and Joe Freeman and was directed and produced by Jack Bender, who is best known for his roles on hit shows such as Lost and Game of Thrones, to name a few. Back in July, the show was aired for the very first time and was swifty ranked the best ever to premiere on MGM+ - it really is no wonder bosses have already given the go ahead for a second eight-part series.

READ MORE: Netflix adds 'gritty' six-part crime thriller viewers will want to binge in one go

READ MORE: 'Greatest war film ever made' is a 'stone cold masterpiece' and streaming now

Previously, we saw Joe Freeman, who plays Luke Ellis, the gifted teen teenage boy who wakes up inside a mysterious facility filled with other gifted children who also have psychic powers but are being held captive.

It appears Joe was destined for a future in acting, given his father is no other than Hobbit film trilogy and Sherlock star Martin Freeman and his mother, Strictly, Sherlock and Mr Selfridge actress Amanda Abbington.

Ben Barnes stars in the role of Tim Jamieson, a haunted ex-policeman who stumbles into conspiracy and becomes totally entangled in Luke's fight for freedom and survival.

While the plot details for series two have not been detailed just yet, we do already know that "new dangers" lurk for the Institute's escapees in the forthcoming season.

After the announcement that series two was coming to screens, author and executive producer, Stephen King, also teased what fans could expect to unfold. In a statement he said: "Set free but hunted, new dangers await the escapees from the Institute, and I can't wait."

Director Jack and writer Benjamin Cavell were also not giving anything away, but did express there's "much more story" still to tell as they urged fans to stay tuned.

In a joint statement they said: "We've been so gratified by the response to our first season, which is a testament to the dedication of our fantastic cast and crew.

"We're thrilled that Michael Wright and everyone at MGM have enabled us to continue Stephen's powerful and timely story. From this project's inception, we've felt there would be much more story to tell as our brilliant characters continue to navigate their way through the dangers of the world they're facing."

Fans have since been issuing glowing reviews on various platforms, with one fan noting on Rotten Tomatoes: "Great show. My only complaint is they only had 8 episodes. I just finished watching the series finale and thoroughly enjoyed it. Every episode was good and I didn't want it to end. Now I can't wait for season two. I will be reading the book before season two starts. If you haven't seen it. This is a great show to binge watch."

Another person added: "I am fairly tough on TV shows these days and have loved SK since I was way too young to be reading his books (dislike the man but love his books, go figure) but hadn't read his stuff in several years so I haven't read the book this is based off of BUT This series is absolutely amazing. The entire episode I am glued to the screen and completely disappointed when the episodes end cause I just want it to continue. This is one of the best shows made in SEVERAL years. Watch it you won't be disappointed."

While a third person penned: "A masterpiece with an all-star cast, along with young new faces, this show hits all the sweet spots. If you’ve read the source material it is quite well adapted and will have you sitting on the edge of your seat getting better every single episode."

The Institute season 1 is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video now.