Mike Flanagan’s The Shining Sequel Doctor Sleep Has Found Its Adult Danny Torrance

Ewan McGregor will star as Danny Torrance in Warner Bros.’ cinematic adaptation of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep—a direct sequel to The Shining. This news comes by way of Variety, who reports that Stephen King has given his blessing in the casting of McGregor as an adult Danny.

Horror favorite Mike Flanagan (Hush, Oculus) is set to direct and, having already directed one acclaimed King adaption in Gerald’s Game, he seems like the perfect director to helm such an adaptation. His usual producing partner, Trevor Macy, will produce the film alongside Jon Berg. Warner Bros. has been trying to make a sequel to The Shining for years and, following the success of last year’s It for New Line Cinema, all King properties under Warner Bros. have been fast-tracked into pre-production.

The 2013 novel Doctor Sleep sees Danny Torrance living in the shadow of his father and his experiences at The Overlook Hotel as a man consumed by alcohol and rage. The drinking dulls his shining powers, but he taps into them again once he embraces sobriety, and he uses his gift to help the sick and the dying in a hospice. However, he is not alone in his powers: He forms a powerful psychic bond with a young girl who is being hunted by similarly shining-gifted individuals and from there, the story is propelled onwards.

There is no set start date for the filming of Doctor Sleep but the casting of McGregor and announcement of Flanagan as director hint that the movie is making its way out of the pre-production phase. Until then, Flanagan’s previous King-based work, Gerald’s Game, can be found on Netflix, while McGregor can next be seen in Disney’s Christopher Robin.