While at a special reading of King’s new book Under the Dome, during a Q&A session Stephen King let it be known that he is planning a sequel to The Shining and will be calling it Doctor Sleep.
“Then King dropped a fan bombshell on the crowd by casually describing a novel idea he began working on last summer,” writes Toronto IST. “Seems King was wondering whatever happened to Danny Torrance of The Shining, who when readers last saw him was recovering from his ordeal at the Overlook Hotel at a resort in Maine with fellow survivors Wendy Torrance and chef Dick Halloran (who dies in the Kubrick film version). King remarked that though he ended his 1977 novel on a positive note, the Overlook was bound to have left young Danny with a lifetime’s worth of emotional scars. What Danny made of those traumatic experiences, and with the psychic powers that saved him from his father at the Overlook, is a question that King believes might make a damn fine sequel.
Stephen King has probably had the most success as a writer turned to film as far as the diversity of his products. I’d wager Rowling’s Potter adaptations have made more cash than all of King’s adpatations, but Rowling has one franchise, while King has had a wide range of books brought to the big screen. Most of the adaptations based on his books have been successful and well received.
While any movie adaptation of this sequel is an assumed inevitability, this could easily be a great unexpected sequel. I felt that King wrapped up the story very well in the first part and it doesn’t need a sequel, but done right any sequel would be welcome.
However I would be happier if King just forced the issue of making a Dark Tower movie (or my preferred format – HBO Tv series) instead.
I really look forward to the sequel. When I finished reading The Shining in 2002, I really wanted to know what happened to Danny. Now, all of my questions might be answered! YAY!
Confused by the Branding here in M.I.A.
no offense to the King Heads out there BTW
The People Under the Stairs? no.
maybe you should give the books a shot. like i said, his(as with just about any other author) books are far different (usually better)than the movies.
he had to sue to get his name OFF of the lawnmower man movie…and he initially didnt like the way the shining came out.
Ha-Ha Lawnmowerman was SAD, and after that movie I lost hope for anything with Stephen King’s name attached to it. Based on Movies The Shining was my Fav.(it’s got Jack for heavens sake!)
Pet Sementary
Wicked Things
Mist
Lawnmowerman
were all pretty bad flicks for me.
and my comments here are for the movies (T/B/clear)
was the people downstairs also his?
While all film is subjective, The odd thing about your comment is that it is extremely inaccurate. Stephen King had his name taken off Lawnmower Man because he had nothing to do with it.
Wicked Things?
You mean ‘Needful Things’?
Damn!!!!!Shawshank.
Forgot that one/Green mile (seemed like ages ago-gettin’ foggy)
Mist-no likes
do have interest in the new one though.
My immediate thoughts are Shining and Christine
Movie only BTW.
is he still in the poster at the end of the book?
He is.
Please dont take this the wrong way, but you cant say that the Shining is King’s best work if you never read it.
Everyone of his books are different than the movies.
Dont rate how good you think King is by his movie adaptations…if more people did that, lawnmower man and the running man would have killed his reputation as a writer.
This really has my interest. If any of you follow the novels of Stephen King, you’ll notice he likes to include characters from previous novels or mentions them. The character of Danny is one I’m really interested in hearing about, since King hardly mentions him in later novels. Though I really would like to see King be involved in the script for The Dark Tower movies.
Seems like all his recent work is T.V. stuff or straight to dvd. his great adaptations seem to be most all in the 80’s WHY?
Shining is one of his greatest if not the greatest in my humble opinion.
1. Shawshank Redemption
2. The Green Mile
3. Mist
In my humble opinion of someone who is an avid KIng reader and film lover, those are 3 of his best adaptations, all done in the 90’s.(coincidentally all done by the same director too!)
Out of Curiosity, did you read the shining or just see the movie…the novel and the movie have some major differences. Again, im not saying this to be rude im just curious.
And if you have read it and think its his greatest you should read The Stand, in my opinion it is without a shred of a doubt his greatest work and right now the best book ive ever read.
Lots of good calls here. I have been re-reading a lot of his books lately and that included the Shining. I was shocked at the differences between the book and the movie. They were more The miniseries was closer to the story but it was not as well done. Also that was spot on about The Stand. I also recommend It.
I am curious myself, shouldn’t Stand By Me and Misery also be added to that list? Strangely enough also done by the same director, Rob Reiner. I agree with your three but those two are on my list also.
Has king written any good movie sequels before?
No.
But more specifically he never had written them. Stuff like the Children Of The Corn sequels and Pet Semetary II were only based on his story concepts. Nothing more. He had nothing to do with them.
A shining sequel is completely unneccessary. King finished it perfectly as a book while Kubrick destroyed it as a sequel.
As far as the Dark Tower….filming each book as a season long tv series on a network like HBO or Showtime is the only way to do it justice. There is nothing you can remove from the book to shorten it into a movie and trying to condense all 7 books into one movie would be more difficult than turning all 7 Harry Potters into one movie.
*Meant to say Kubrick destroyed it as a movie…simply…awful….
Nothing beats the HBO series Rodney!
Wow Cool.
It wouldn’t be the first “sequel novel” that Stephen King has written (ignore the films) but generally his sequels only bear a passing resemblance to the original. They’re often a new story or simply a name-drop in another story.
BTW: I’d still prefer the Dark Tower to be an Anime series. I can’t see HBO Live action being able to do it justice. It would have to pander too much to the masses.
but an anime series would limit it down to a much much smaller demographic and pretty much ONLY appeal to people who like The DT Series AND Anime. Itd be far too risky.
Agreed. Anime is not as mainstream as some would like to think of it. There are many people in the King demographic that would be eager to see Dark Tower produced, but only a small portion of that would even notice it happened if it was anime.
But even the Anime lovers would watch an HBO series, or even a live action feature film on this.
Not that I don’t think an Anime version is the worst idea, just one I just can’t see happening for more reasons than the brief glimpse of what it might be like. I thought of more reasons not to make it anime in less time than it took for me to picture it in that style.
oh anime is very mainstream…just depends on what crowd u hang out in….me im into the online geek world like most of us then of course we no are anime history….but anime for DT hell no!
like he said make it a HBO miniseries like rome
3 seasons would be perfect for DT
Mainstream is not defined by your own social groups. Aspergers is mainstream if all you do is hang mostly with people who have Aspergers.
Anime is not mainstream.
well said rodney…gotta agree. Anime is definitely not mainstream.
Anime COULD be cool. But i gotta say, i think more King loyalist (myself included) would much rather see a live action series.
I love the movie but haven’t read the book. Has anyone else heard the crazy theory that Kubrick’s movie version of The Shining contains clues that the moon landing was a hoax? I am not making this up.
“While any movie adaptation of this sequel is an assumed inevitability, this could easily be a great unexpected sequel. I felt that King wrapped up the story very well in the first part and it doesn’t need a sequel, but done right any sequel would be welcome.”
I could not have said it better myself, Rodney. And those goes not only for the iconic Kubrick film version, but also the 90’s miniseries directed by Mick Garris.
The best things about “Shining II” is that it may or may not have connection to either production. More importantly, if filmed it would be a sequel based on a King work that King himself wrote, as opposed to 99% of the lame “sequels” that followed the likes of Children Of The Corn, Pet Semetary, Firestarter and Carrie.
As far as KIng’s works unfilmed, one of these days, I’d love to see Eyes Of The Dragon which I think is the Holy Grail of King’s unfilmed work, not counting The Talisman which he co-wrote with Peter Straub.
Y’know, even if “Shining II” never gets made into a film, I’d still like to read the book regardless. If it is made into a film, may Frank Darabont toss his name into the hat pronto.
I look forward to a sequel. This definitely would peak my interest & I’d read it.
Plus, think of the great things they could do with a psychic story and revisit the Overlook on Film!
NO! The Shinning is GOD