Buoyed by the meteoric success of It over at New Line, Warner Bros. is moving forward with a sequel to Stephen King’s other horror classic, The Shining. And it’s already nabbed itself a release date: January 24, 2020.
Though casting has yet to be announced, we’ve previously been told that Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Gerald’s Game) has been hired to write and direct an adaptation of Doctor Sleep, King’s novel which explores the troubled life of Danny Torrance (Redrum!) 40 years after his horrifying stay at the Overlook Hotel.
First published in 2013, Doctor Sleep deep dives into Torrance’s struggles with anger and alcoholism – the very same troubles which also afflicted his father, Jack, all those years ago. Meanwhile, with a release date now set, and not too far away all things considered, the project has been placed on the fast track over at WB.
As for the new release date, we wouldn’t read too much into it, but it could be a sign of confidence on the studio’s part. After all, January has seen a few horror films really thrive lately – notably Split and Insidious: The Last Key. Not to mention that Hellboy will land there as well, on January 11th, 2019. If nothing else, though, Flanagan’s involvement certainly has us optimistic, given his impressive work in the genre, and we’re hopeful that the project will be a worthy follow-up to its predecessor.
For more on Doctor Sleep, here’s how Stephen King’s novel is described:
Danny Torrance carries the trauma of the Overlook Hotel into adulthood. He’s become a reflection of his murderous father, with lingering rage and a drinking problem that dulls his pain as well as his “shining” powers. Those powers return when he embraces sobriety and uses his gift to help the dying at a hospice.
He establishes a psychic connection with a young girl who shares his extreme abilities, and who is being targeted by a scary group with the similar abilities. They’ve found that their powers grow if they inhale the “steam” that comes off others with the power to shine, when they are suffering painful deaths.
Doctor Sleep is officially beginning to coalesce at Warner Bros., and we’ll be keeping you right up-to-date as this story unfolds.