Stanley Kubrik's timeless horror film will be getting a prequel!
This time, Warner Brothers enlisted the help of "Never Let Me Go" director, Mark Romanek to helm the planned "The Shining" prequel titled "Overlook Hotel."
According to Variety, Romanek has entered negotiations for the production and will be working on a screenplay by "The Shield" and "The Walking Dead" showrunner Glenn Mazzara.
Fans of the classic film don't have to fear because Romanek does have experience in the department. He directed and wrote Robin Williams' psychological thriller "One Hour Photo" in 2002.
"Overlook Hotel" will be adapted from "The Shining's" prologue which was not included in the Stephen King novel during publication in 1977. The film will revolve around the early days of the hotel, when it was still owned by "robber baron," Bob T Watson.
King himself noted that the "The Shining" prequel "contained a number of strange events from the Overlook Hotel's earlier history." It will also explain the evil forces that affected Jack Torrance's (Jack Nicholson) behavior in the iconic film.
The celebrated horror story author had previously opposed the idea of a "The Shining" prequel. He also questioned Warner Bros' rights to the classic since the copyright has now come back to King.
"Am I eager to see that happen? No I am not," King told Entertainment Weekly last year. "'The Shining' is such an old book now that the copyright comes back to me. Arguably, the film rights lapse-so we'll see. We're looking into that."
He has, however, written a sequel for "The Shining" called "Dr. Sleep." Reports have also surfaced that Warner Bros. has been trying to get that film off the ground.
"I'm not saying I would put a stop to the project, because I'm sort of a nice guy," King added as a comment to the planned "The Shining" prequel. "I have a tendency to let people develop things. I'm always curious to see what will happen. But you know what? I would be just as happy if it didn't happen."
