Based on the 2019 Stephen King novel, The Institute tells the story of a bunch of superpowered teenagers held against their will and exploited for their gifts, who decide to take matters into their own hands.

The Institute Plot : When 12-year-old genius Luke Ellis is kidnapped, he awakens at The Institute, a facility full of children who all got there the same way he did, and who are all possessed of unusual abilities. In a nearby town, haunted former police officer Tim Jamieson (Barnes) has come looking to start a new life, but the peace and quiet won’t last, as his story and Luke’s are destined to collide.

The plot centers around Luke Ellis whose parents are murdered in the middle of the night by intruders. Luke wakes up at The Institute in a room that looks just like his own, except the sunlight coming in through the window isn’t sunlight—it’s an array of LED lamps, and the window, like the room, is a fake. Outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents, such as telekinesis and telepathy, who got there the same way Luke did.

The trope isn’t a fresh one. King’s book was released in 2019, having been written between 2018 and 2019, but the comic book title New Mutants first hit the stands in 1982, and the feature film The New Mutants from 2020 using the same concept of a bunch of superpowered teenagers held in captivity.

The Institute stars Dylan Bailey, Ben Barnes and Mary-Louise Parker, and streams on the MGM+ streaming service beginning July 13, 2025.