New ‘The Shining’ Film Killed by Bad ‘Doctor Sleep’ Box Office, Director Says: ‘I’ll Always Regret This Didn’t Happen’
variety.comZack Sharf “Doctor Sleep” director Mike Flanagan confirmed on Twitter that a planned sequel to his 2019 “The Shining” prequel is officially dead.
The filmmaker cited the dismal box office performance of “Doctor Sleep” as the main reason why Warner Bros. isn’t moving forward with a second “The Shining” prequel film, this one focused on the character of Dick Hallorann (played in Stanley Kubrick’s film by Scatman Crothers and in “Doctor Sleep” by Carl Lumbly.” “We were so close,” Flanagan wrote on Twitter about getting the Dick Hallorann movie made. “I’ll always regret this didn’t happen.” Flanagan also shared a fan-made poster for his scrapped second “The Shining” prequel.
When asked by one user why his “Doctor Sleep” follow-up wasn’t going to be made, Flanagan responded, “Because of ‘Doctor Sleep’s’ box office performance, Warner Bros.
opted not to proceed with it. They control the rights, so that was that.” “Doctor Sleep,” based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name and starring Ewan McGregor as an older Danny Torrance, opened in theaters in October 2019 to mixed reviews but disappointing box office numbers.
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