Mike Flanagan knows a thing or two about horror. With films like Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald’s Game and Oculus under his belt, the up and coming director is turning into a hot commodity in Hollywood rather quickly and despite his many accomplished efforts in the genre so far, he’s not looking to go elsewhere just yet.
Currently, the filmmaker is busy working on a TV series called The Haunting of Hill House, but it won’t be long before he jumps back into the world of cinema and when he does, it might just be with another Stephen King adaptation. Following Gerald’s Game (our review here), Flanagan says he’d like to bring another one of the beloved author’s stories to life: Doctor Sleep, which is a sequel to The Shining.
Speaking in a recent interview, the director said that when it comes to King novels that he’d love to adapt, he’s got two in mind:
“The ones I’d want to do the most are DOCTOR SLEEP and LISEY’S STORY. In both cases, it’s because I identify with the protagonists so much. LISEY’S STORY is a stunning piece of work, a beautiful exploration of marriage. And who wouldn’t want to venture back into the world of Danny Torrance?”
For those unfamiliar with Sleep, it “takes place years after the events at the Overlook Hotel and focuses on the the now middle-aged Danny who is still traumatized.” As the official plot synopsis explains:
He’s followed in his father’s footsteps and has problems with anger management and alcoholism. He soon gives up drinking and settles in a small town in New Hampshire. While there, his psychic abilities start to resurface and he develops a psychic link with a 12-year-old girl named Abra Stone who he must save after he discovers her life is being threatened by a tribe of paranormals led by a man named Rose the Hat.”
Of course, just because Flanagan is interested in bringing the book to the big screen that doesn’t mean he’ll get the chance to do so, but given the massive popularity of It, it seems like Stephen King stories are red hot right now and we’ve already heard of a number of his novels that are in the process of being turned into films. Whether Doctor Sleep will be added to that list remains to be seen, but if Mike Flanagan does end up getting his hands on it, you certainly won’t her any complaints from us.
