Ewan McGregor to star as Danny Torrance in The Shining sequel, Dr. Sleep

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

The events of THE SHINING would certainly be enough to drastically change anyone's mental state, let alone a young child, and who knows what form that psychological trauma would take later in life. Years after writing the classic novel, Stephen King would return to the story of Danny Torrance with "Doctor Sleep" in 2013, which found the now adult Danny struggling with the same issues which plagued his father all those years ago.

Warner Bros. moved forward on the project earlier this year and tapped GERALD'S GAME director Mike Flanagan to helm the film, and Variety now reports that Ewan McGregor signed on to play Danny Torrance. Not a bad choice at all. The thought of where Danny Torrance's life might lead has always interested King, who told The Guardian, "Take Dan Torrance, who is the child of an alcoholic, child of a dysfunctional family, abusive father, and he says, as people do, 'I'm never going to be like my father; I'm never going to be like my mother.' And then you grow up and find yourself with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other, and maybe you're walking the kiddies around. And I wanted to see what would happen with that." The studio has been attempting to develop "Doctor Sleep" for a number of years now, but we can thank the success of IT for finally lighting the fire which got the project fast-tracked. Variety's Justin Kroll has added on Twitter that Stephen King has reportedly given his blessing to McGregor's casting.

After spending years embodying his father's legacy of anger and alcoholism as he was haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel, "Doctor Sleep" finds Danny Torrance finally settling down in a small town where he quits drinking. Getting a job at a nursing home, Danny uses his abilities to ease the passing of the terminally ill, all while forming a telepathic bond with Abra Stone, a young girl whose shining is growing more and more powerful. It's then that Danny and Abra become aware of a group of quasi-immortal people called the True Knot who travel across America living off of the "stream" that children with the shining produce as they are slowly tortured to death. Charming. With Abra now targeted by the True Knot, Danny's own demons are reignited as he battles for the survival of Abra's soul.

Ewan McGregor will next be seen next in CHRISTOPHER ROBIN on August 3, 2018.