A Release Date Has Been Set For The Sequel To The Shining

Stephen King has written some of the greatest horror novels of all time, which in turn have become some of the most iconic horror movies ever.

This is the man who gave the world Carrie, The Green Mile, Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption, Misery and, of course, The Shining - just in case you needed an introduction into his stellar career.

Even as recently as last year, the remake of It - based on a King novel from 1986 - broke box office records and became the highest-grossing horror movie of all time.

So when we tell you that there is a new Stephen King movie in the works, and a sequel to The Shining no less, then the time has come to get very, very excited.

The new film is Doctor Sleep, based on the novel of the same name, which returns to the Overlook Hotel, the setting for The Shining, picking up where the story left off.

The release date has been scheduled for January 24, 2020 - so don't get too excited yet - and will follow the likes of Pet Semetary and It: Chapter Two in the King chronology.

We'll let Stephen King himself explain, as per his official website:"Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Danny Torrance has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence.

"Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant 'shining' power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying.

"Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes 'Doctor Sleep'. Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra's soul and survival."

The man who is due to step into the shoes of Stanley Kubrick - the legendary director who made The Shining - is Mike Flanagan, whose previous work includes Gerald's Game, also a Stephen King adaptation.

With It having made in excess of $700 million and The Shining being regarded as possibly the greatest horror movie ever made - though famously, King never liked it and didn't think it was a good adaptation - there will be huge expectations for Doctor Sleep.

We can't wait.

Topics: TV and Film, Horror, US Entertainment

Mike Wood

Mike Meehall Wood is a freelance journalist and translator. He writes for LADbible, VICE and countless sports publications, focusing on rugby league, football and boxing. He is a graduate of Leeds University and maintains a fizzy pop obsession. Contact Mike at [email protected]