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A Shining prequel?

edited July 2012 in Adaptations
Could we be in for a return trip to the Overlook Hotel?



Warner Bros.is quietly exploring the possibility of a prequel to “The Shining,” the 1980 Stanley Kubrick chillfest that many fans regard as the scariest movie of all time. The studio has solicited the involvement of Hollywood writer-producer Laeta Kalogridis and her partners Bradley Fischer and James Vanderbilt to craft a new take as producers, according to a person familiar with the project who was not authorized to talk about it publicly.



The film would focus on what happened before Jack Torrance (of course played memorably onscreen by Jack Nicholson), his wife and their psychic son arrived at the haunted retreat where Torrance soon descends into violent madness. A WB spokeswoman cautioned that any "Shining" prequel was in a very early stage and not even formally in development.



Still, even the possibility of an addition to a modern classic is bound to get film fans excited or riled up (or both).



One factor that could aid the former: Kalogridis has a pedigree that's ready-made for this kind of material, having penned the macabre “Shutter Island” for Martin Scorsese two years ago. (In a somewhat different vein, she also was a key creative force on James Cameron’s “Avatar,”  serving as an uncredited writer and an executive producer.)



Released initially to mixed reviews by Warners, “The Shining,” based on Stephen King’s bestselling 1977 novel, eventually gained acclaim and a unique pop-culture prominence. It’s been spoofed and referenced many times since, and is currently enjoying a moment of sorts thanks to “Room 237,” a documentary about the Kubrick film's many interpretations that made a splash at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.



King himself has been penning a sequel to "The Shining;" there's no word yet on whether there will be a movie adaptation of the new novel.



>>> Source

Comments

  • At the very least I hope these players solicit some input from King.



    OR!



    It could be an elaborate ploy to get an early copy of Dr. Sleep on the pretense they don't want the prequel to contravene anything that happens in Dr. Sleep. :D
  • Rumor: Gravity director director Alfonso has been approached to direct a prequel to Stanely Kubrick's classic The Shining titled The Overlook Hotel.

    >>> Source
  • This and the first Star Wars stand alone movie too - Gravity has given Cuaron a boost.
  • I see he directed One Hour Photo with Robin Williams and the Locke & Key pilot so there is some cause for optimism here.  It will be interesting to see how this adaptation handles the restrictions that all prequels face - we the audience already know the outcome.
  • Screenwriter James Vanderbilt discussed the status of the Shining prequel (which he’s producing), titled Overlook Hotel, explaining how it’s not the kind of movie people might be expecting:

    “You want a real filmmaker like Mark doing it… Honestly I think people will really be excited about it, because it’s not like ’20 Years Before The Shining!’. I don’t want to give too much away about the story but the way [screenwriter] Glen [Mazzara] cracked it and the way Mark has sort of cracked it, it’s completely it’s own film, which I think is super smart. It’s not like, ‘When Scatman Crothers was young, he…’ it’s not that.”

    It’s unclear what the story of the movie will be, but it certainly sounds like it may only be tangentially connected to Kubrick’s original—which is the way to go. I want to see a terrifying haunted house story directed by Mark Romanek, not something that’s tripping over itself to remind audiences of The Shining.

    The project remains in development at Warner Bros. and while we haven’t gotten a start date just yet, Vanderbilt certainly seems high on the take they have, heaping praise on Romanek’s sensibilities as a filmmaker:

    >>> Source
  • HBO Max has greenlighted three drama series from J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath’s Bad Robot Prods. — Overlook, inspired by Stephen King’s The ShiningDuster, conceived by Abrams; and a DC Justice League Dark show.

    These are Bad Robot’s first projects for HBO Max under the mega film and TV deal Abrams signed with WarnerMedia last fall. Like with the other uber producers on Warner Bros. Television Group’s roster, Greg Berlanti, HBO Max is ordering a whole slate of series from Abrams. (Both Abrams and Berlanti behind new DC series for WarnerMedia’s streaming platform.)

    Horror-thriller Overlook, inspired by and featuring iconic characters from King’s The Shining, explores the untold, terrifying stories of the most famous haunted hotel in American fiction. The project reunites Bad Robot, King and WBTV, who previously collaborated on the  psychological-horror series Castle Rock, which had a two-season run on Hulu.

    Like Castle Rock, Overlook is named after an iconic location from King’s horror universe. In another parallel, I hear Castle Rock co-creator/executive producer Dustin Thomason and co-executive producer Scott Brown are in negotiations to write Overlook.In its approach, Overlook also is reminiscent of A&E’s Bates Motel, the prequel series to another horror classic, Psycho. 

  • This is very exciting news!  Thanks for keeping us filled in on all things Overlook!
    GNTLGNT
  • J.J. Abrams ... Dear God ... 
  • ....that is QUITE the story idea......brings the "shine" concept even further into the light....
    Hedda GablerNotarodoyoulove19
  • edited February 2021
    Here is a really terrific interview with Shelley Duvall.  

    While I still stand by my feelings about Shelley being totally wrong for The Shining, I was very unkind to her.  I apologize to you Shelley.  I definitely wouldn't have been so puffed-up bold to skewer her had I known she was suffering mental illness.  I would have just been one of the faceless trash talkers behind so many unkind posts out there directed at a person for whatever reason they felt justified imparting.  Which is still terrible.   Shame on me. 

    I like this interview.  I like Shelley in this interview.  I like the people in this interview who talk about her.

    There is definitely a hate going on for that Dr. Phil interview, which I still believe was hoping to help her. I really do.  Did Dr. Phil exploit her for ratings?  Yep.  Looking back at it, I think he did.  BUT, I also really do believe he wanted to get her help.  I still think she needs help.  And his offer to help her is still very much on the table. But, she seems happy.  And people care about her and are looking after her.  It's a shame though, because she was quite bright.  

    Anyway, read the interview.  Thoughts?

    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/searching-for-shelley-duvall-the-reclusive-icon-on-fleeing-hollywood-and-the-scars-of-making-the-shining


    FlakeNoirNotaroBevVincentGNTLGNT
  • Here is a really terrific interview with Shelley Duvall.  

    While I still stand by my feelings about Shelley being totally wrong for The Shining, I was very unkind to her.  I apologize to you Shelley.  I definitely wouldn't have been so puffed-up bold to skewer her had I known she was suffering mental illness.  I would have just been one of the faceless trash talkers behind so many unkind posts out there directed at a person for whatever reason they felt justified imparting.  Which is still terrible.   Shame on me. 

    I like this interview.  I like Shelley in this interview.  I like the people in this interview who talk about her.

    There is definitely a hate going on for that Dr. Phil interview, which I still believe was hoping to help her. I really do.  Did Dr. Phil exploit her for ratings?  Yep.  Looking back at it, I think he did.  BUT, I also really do believe he wanted to get her help.  I still think she needs help.  And his offer to help her is still very much on the table. But, she seems happy.  And people care about her and are looking after her.  It's a shame though, because she was quite bright.  

    Anyway, read the interview.  Thoughts?

    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/searching-for-shelley-duvall-the-reclusive-icon-on-fleeing-hollywood-and-the-scars-of-making-the-shining


    That was a really great article and interview. Yes, if we could turn back time we might do things differently having differing knowledge and life experiences. 
    Hers is an oft-times sad, but clearly a full life... and should we look at our own, how different really are we? It's a thin line between our own reality and what we think a life should be. 
    NotaroHedda GablerGNTLGNT
  • FlakeNoir said:
    Here is a really terrific interview with Shelley Duvall.  

    While I still stand by my feelings about Shelley being totally wrong for The Shining, I was very unkind to her.  I apologize to you Shelley.  I definitely wouldn't have been so puffed-up bold to skewer her had I known she was suffering mental illness.  I would have just been one of the faceless trash talkers behind so many unkind posts out there directed at a person for whatever reason they felt justified imparting.  Which is still terrible.   Shame on me. 

    I like this interview.  I like Shelley in this interview.  I like the people in this interview who talk about her.

    There is definitely a hate going on for that Dr. Phil interview, which I still believe was hoping to help her. I really do.  Did Dr. Phil exploit her for ratings?  Yep.  Looking back at it, I think he did.  BUT, I also really do believe he wanted to get her help.  I still think she needs help.  And his offer to help her is still very much on the table. But, she seems happy.  And people care about her and are looking after her.  It's a shame though, because she was quite bright.  

    Anyway, read the interview.  Thoughts?

    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/searching-for-shelley-duvall-the-reclusive-icon-on-fleeing-hollywood-and-the-scars-of-making-the-shining


    That was a really great article and interview. Yes, if we could turn back time we might do things differently having differing knowledge and life experiences. 
    Hers is an oft-times sad, but clearly a full life... and should we look at our own, how different really are we? It's a thin line between our own reality and what we think a life should be. 
    Quoting myself... 🙄

    That made no sense, I'm dozing off on the couch after work.
    It's more like a great divide than a thin line. Sort of Grand Canyon sized. 
    KurbenNotaroHedda GablerGNTLGNT
  • I thought this project was well and truly dead. And yet...

    ‘The Shining’ Offshoot Series ‘Overlook’ From Bad Robot Not Going Forward At HBO Max, Closing In On New Home

    HBO Max has opted not to proceed with Overlook, the drama project from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Prods. inspired by Stephen King’s The Shining. The company and studio Warner Bros. Television are currently shopping the show, which is expected to land at a new home soon, with Netflix a likely destination, I hear. Reps for Bad Robot, WBTV and Netflix declined comment.
    Overlook was part of the inaugural Bad Robot slate at HBO Max under the company’s mega 2019 deal with WarnerMedia, which was commissioned by the previous regimes at the streamer. While Overlook was announced as a series order at the time, it was actually development with a series commitment, I hear.
    Written by Dustin Thomason and Scott Brown, horror-thriller Overlook, inspired by and featuring iconic characters from King’s The Shining, explores the untold, terrifying stories of the most famous haunted hotel in American fiction.
    I hear HBO Max brass liked the project but felt it was not a fit for them at this time.


    Hedda GablerGNTLGNTNotaroFlakeNoirKurben
  • ...."not a fit" meh!....with a SK series....and to paraphrase, "if you film it, they will come"....


    Hedda GablerFlakeNoir
  • Not really on topic, but I didn't find anywhere better.

    The hotel where the 1980 film was shot had a 3 alarm fire on Thursday, but there doesn't appear to be too much damage and there were no injuries.

    BevVincentGNTLGNTFlakeNoirHedda Gabler
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