Variety is reporting that Ewan McGregor, star of Trainspotting and FX’s Fargo, has agreed to play the grown-up Danny Torrance in The Shining sequel, Doctor Sleep. The casting has received Stephen King’s blessing, too, who first published the novel in 2013.
Keeping things within the King circle, we understand Doctor Sleep is being directed by Mike Flanagan, who previously dabbled in the author’s celebrated archives for Netflix hit Gerald’s Game.
For Doctor Sleep, though, it’s an entirely different story, as we check in on the troubled life of Danny Torrance (Redrum!) 40 years after his horrifying stay at the Overlook Hotel. The story also deep dives into his struggles with anger and alcoholism – the very same troubles which also afflicted his father, Jack, all those years ago.
This King project, along with Shining prequel Overlook Hotel, has been gestating in development for years at this point. But ever since the meteoric success of New Line’s It adaptation, every studio under the sun has fast-tracked their Stephen King properties into development – and Doctor Sleep is no exception.
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.
