Between the mega-hit IT and the creepy mindf*ck Gerald’s Game, it was a good year of movies for Stephen King fans (if you ignore the baffling adaptation of The Dark Tower). King’s novels are true classics of the suspense and horror genres, but some have been notoriously difficult to translate to the screen, so it feels like a special victory when an adaptation is a success. Mike Flanagan, the director of Gerald’s Game, wants to keep this trend going into the future, and he has his eye on the next story he wants to tackle: Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining.
Flanagan told the Stephen King fan site Lilja’s Library that he wanted to dive back into the world of Danny Torrance, the poor kid traumatized by his father’s descent into madness at the Overlook Hotel.
“[T]he ones I’d want to do the most are Doctor Sleep and Lisey’s Story. In both cases, it’s because I identify with the protagonists so much. Lisey’s Story is a stunning piece of work, a beautiful exploration of marriage. And who wouldn’t want to venture back into the world of Danny Torrance?”
Now, Doctor Sleep isn’t considered on of King’s strongest works, but Flanagan proved that he had a knack for adapting trickier King tales with Gerald’s Game. If it keeps sophisticated horror in cinemas going forward, this seems like a safe bet.
(Via /Film, Lilja’s Library)
