Doctor Sleep film: Sequel to Stephen King's The Shining is shaping up nicely
The film will star Ewan McGregor as Jack Torrance's grown up son Danny
Stephen King is such a prolific and iconic writer that any adaptations of his stories tend to come with some fanfare, but when the work being tackled is actually a sequel to one of his most iconic books with an even more iconic adaptation that's going to get everybody's attention.
Doctor Sleep - the sequel to the novel The Shining - is being turned into a film by horror director Mike Flanagan, whose best known works include Absentia, Oculus, Before I Wake, Ouija: Origin of Evil and an adaptation of King's own Gerald's Game.
The Shining itself was adapted into the influential film by Stanley Kubrick in 1980 and starred Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall as the unhinged Jack Torrance and his wife Wendy.
Much of the events of The Shining are linked to Jack's son Danny (then played by Danny Lloyd) possessing "the shining" ability, which lets him see supernatural forces and events that exist within the hotel's past.
What can we expect from the sequel?
The sequel film, like the book, will focus on the adult Danny, who will now be played by Golden Globe-winning Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, and has inherited the alcoholism and darkness of his late father, but provides comfort to dying hospice patients with his psychic abilities, earning the nickname 'Doctor Sleep'.
However, when a young girl named Abra emerges with similar abilities, dark forces begin to converge on her, with Danny becoming stuck in the centre of the danger.
True stories behind the horror movies
Cast of Doctor Sleep
Mission: Impossible star Rebecca Ferguson will star alongside McGregor as Rose the Hat, the leader of the nefarious and supernatural group known as the True Knot.
Westworld star Zahn McClarnon plays fellow True Knot member Crow Daddy, while ALIAS star Carl Lumbly will portray Dick Halloran.
Finally, the role of Wendy Torrance will now be played by Saudi Arabian actress Alex Essoe, replacing Shelley Duvalll.
We are expecting some chilling sequences in what promises to be bloody and dark sequel.
Quite the turnaround for McGregor who will soon be seen in the much lighter Disney's Christopher Robin.
READ MORE: Disney's Christopher Robin: New Winnie the Pooh footage shows the bear in action ahead of film's releaseDoctor Sleep is released on January 24 2020.
Are you intrigued to see where the story of The Shining goes next? Let us know in the comments below.