The Shining Sequel Lands Director Mike Flanagan

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Warner Bros. has chosen Mike Flanagan to direct a film adaptation of Doctor Sleep, which was a sequel novel to The Shining, both of which were penned by Stephen King. The Shining was famously adapted to film by director Stanley Kubrick way back in 1980, and also as a made-for-television miniseries in 1997.

The 2013 novel Doctor Sleep brings back Danny Torrance, now grown up and psychologically traumatized from what happened to him as a young boy. Danny, or Dan as he refers to himself now, spends years drifting across the country trying to find his purpose and deal with his inner-demons. He eventually settles in a New Hampshire town and finds work at a local hospice. He uses his psychic "shining" abilities  to comfort the dying, and with the help of a cat that can sense the coming of death, Dan becomes known at the hospice as “Doctor Sleep.”

Director Flanagan has already adapted to screen another one of Stephen King’s novels, Gerald’s Game, for Netflix. He is also known for 2013’s Oculus, and 2016’s Ouija: Origin of Evil. Doctor Sleep is slated for a September 6th, 2019 release.

About the Author

Jay Gervais

From small town to big city and back again, Jay was born and raised in Canada and has lived his whole life there. He’s always ready to cut down any misconceptions his American friends have of life in the great white north. He’s also no stranger to this kind of community, and has plenty of experience under his bed. He enjoys all kinds of horror entertainment, as long as it’s got the heart and soul to it. When he’s not doing something here, he can be found at his post at the night’s watch, or knee deep into his school studies.

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Stephen King Says Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep “Redeems” Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining to Him

The author famously disliked the movie that came first, but has great things to say about this adaptation of his sequel novel.