In 1977, master of horror Stephen King wrote The Shining, and although it was only the third book published by him, its success was so immense that people consider King an icon when it comes to this genre. Set in the creepy Overlook Hotel in the 70s, this is the Torrance family’s story that gets torn apart by husband Jack’s growing insanity, which seems to be rooted in the hotel itself. This story is a masterpiece because not only is it a psychological horror that was way ahead of its time, but it explores human emotions to the deepest levels, resonating well with the readers. In 1980, director Stanley Kubrick adapted the book into a film, giving Jack, Wendy and Danny Torrance faces of Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Scatman Crothers, respectively. Like the novel, the film has been monumental in its success and remembrance and now, another adaptation of it is in the works in the form of a series.
What are the details we have till now?
A spin-off for The Shining titled Overlook is in its development stages with Warner Bros. Television and Bad Robot Productions (Cloverfield, 2008). The show will have ten episodes, as announced by HBO Max in April 2020 and will be written and executive produced by Dustin Thomason (The Rule of Four, 2004) and Scott Brown (Sharp Objects, 2018). Overlook will act as a prequel to The Shining and focus on the history of the Overlook Hotel’s history, perhaps giving the audience some explanation behind why it is menacing enough to drive a man to lose his sanity. The hotel is built on a large perimeter of land and full of beautiful artefacts, luxurious rooms, and plenty of space to get lost, but something about it is pure evil.
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History of the famous hotel
The last time The Overlook was seen was in Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep, a sequel to The Shining. Being more outwardly supernatural in nature, this story focuses on a grown-up Danny who tries to live life with the trauma from his experiences at the hotel all those years ago. Things change when he meets Abra, a young girl who shares the same abilities of “The Shining” as himself and together, they must find a way to stop a vampire cult hellbent on feeding off of innocents’ shines. Often revered as Stephen King of television, Mike Flanagan is one of the new-age horror filmmakers who gives the genre a new outlook and his characters more depth. He has worked on beautifully made shows such as The Haunting of Hill House, an adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s book of the same name and The Haunting of Bly Manor, an adaptation of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw. King has been working with Flanagan closely for quite some time now, and together, they are changing the face of the horror genre for the better.
