Though she’s about to embark on a global press tour for Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Rebecca Ferguson has ostensibly secured her next role. And it’s a doozy.
Variety has the scoop, revealing that Ferguson is negotiating to climb aboard Doctor Sleep, the long-gestating Shining sequel that currently has Ewan McGregor of Star Wars fame attached to headline.
He’ll play the adult version of Danny Torrance, a character still reeling from that fateful night in the Overlook Hotel, though it’s unclear as yet who Ferguson is expected to portray. Abra “Abby” Rafaella Stone is one possible candidate, but it’s unlikely the Powers That Be will divulge too much, too soon.
One thing’s clear: Warner Bros. is hoping to capture lightning in a bottle again, given they’ve hired Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game) to spearhead Doctor Sleep, a sequel that’s been circling the fringes of development for months – if not years.
It’s a testimony to IT‘s meteoric success, then, that seemingly every King property out there has been tipped for a big-screen adaptation, and what better way to start than to revisit one of the author’s true classics?
If you’re curious, here’s a more thorough overview of the novel:
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.
Expect Doctor Sleep to administer a potent dose of terror on January 24th, 2020.