One heroic actor has seemingly turned into a massive Stephen King villain in a new potential From season 4 replacement show. With many uncertain updates surrounding From season 4’s release window, it seems likely that audiences will have to wait until 2026 for its release.

Although 2026 may not seem too far away, the highly acclaimed horror show has left a massive void in the horror genre after season 3, which cannot seemingly be filled by any other series. Fortunately, a new show based on a Stephen King book seems to have the potential to become a worthy From replacement while viewers wait for the MGM+ show’s next season.

The Stephen King adaptation not only shares some intriguing narrative and thematic parallels with From but also features one major actor from the original MGM+ series. Instead of featuring him in a familiar role, the Stephen King series interestingly defies expectations and surprisingly turns him into a villain.

Robert Joy Plays The Institute’s Villainous Doctor After Starring As The Lovable Henry In From

The Institute Seems To Completely Flip Robert Joy’s From Role

Robert Joy shows up as the admirable character, Henry Kavanaugh, in From season 3. He is portrayed as a loving father in the series who seems determined to find the truth about his son’s disappearance. Although viewers have been suspicious about what he seems to know about the central Township in the series, he mostly comes off as a heroic figure.

In the new adaptation of Stephen King’s The Institute, however, Robert Joy plays a completely different role. The show’s opening episode itself introduces him as an evil doctor who is in charge of inhumane experiments conducted on young children in a facility called The Institute.

Young children with supernatural powers are abducted in the show and held captive in a mysterious facility that seemingly has affiliations with the government. Instead of showing any empathy towards the trapped young children, Robert Joy’s character, Dr. Hendricks, exploits them by subjecting them to painful experiments.

Both characters are stark contrasts, given how one almost dedicates his entire life to searching for his son while the other seems to care little about children who have been separated from their families. Robert Joy’s range as an actor allows him to portray both characters with ease, despite their glaring differences.

Robert Joy Isn’t The Only From Figure In MGM+’s The Institute

The Two Shows Share Other Fascinating Overlaps

Jack Bender, who serves as one of the executive producers for From, is also the executive producer and director for The Institute. Bob Mann, who plays Frank Pratt in three episodes of From, also shows up in The Institute as Will. Even though From and The Institute are significantly different in terms of storytelling, they also share some intriguing narrative parallels.

For instance, both revolve around characters who find themselves trapped in a mysterious and dark setting. The heroes in both shows set out to escape their respective confines while gradually unraveling the terrifying truth behind their captivity.

The striking narrative parallels between From and the Stephen King adaptation and their shared cast and crew make them companion pieces of sorts, proving that viewers who like one will likely enjoy watching the other.