Earlier this year, director Mike FlanaganOpens in a new tab officially signed onOpens in a new tab to the feature film adaptation of Doctor SleepOpens in a new tab, Stephen KingOpens in a new tab‘s sequel to the horror classic, The ShiningOpens in a new tab. Now, Ewan McGregorOpens in a new tab has reportedly been cast to take the leading role as the grown-up Danny Torrance, a character made famous by young Danny Lloyd in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of The Shining.
VarietyOpens in a new tab was the first to report McGregor’s casting in Doctor Sleep, and it notes that King has reportedly offered his blessing for the news. King released Doctor Sleep in 2013, nearly four decades after The Shining was published. The book follows Danny’s life after the events at the Overlook Hotel as he descends into alcoholism and depression. However, Danny’s powers return when he embraces sobriety and he is given the “Doctor Sleep” nickname while comforting dying patients in a hospice.
Variety notes that the success of ItOpens in a new tab helped Warner Bros. put Doctor Sleep on its production slate, and it could potentially lead to a prequel movie called Overlook Hotel. The Doctor Sleep novel does revisit some aspects of The Shining and the ghosts who inhabit the doomed hotel, but it’s primarily focused on Danny’s story at the hospice. It also explores Danny’s relationship with Abra Stone, a young girl who develops powers similar to his own Shining abilities.
Doctor Sleep is expected to be released on January 24, 2020. It will likely begin production either later this year or in early 2019.
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Images: Disney Pictures/Warner Bros.
More Stephen King news!
- In the Tall GrassOpens in a new tab is getting a Netflix movie!
- The Castle Rock trailerOpens in a new tab is filled with King references
- The Long WalkOpens in a new tab is coming to the big screen!
