The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep adds Wendy, Dick, and Crow Daddy

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Having already cast Ewan McGregor as the adult Danny Torrance in his adaptation of Stephen King's THE SHINING sequel DOCTOR SLEEP, director Mike Flanagan has now cast a couple other returning characters – Danny's mother Wendy and Overlook Hotel cook Dick Halloran, who has the same sort of psychic "shining" abilities Danny has.

Wendy and Dick's scenes seem to take place sometime around the events of THE SHINING, as Flanagan has filled the roles with Alex Essoe (pictured above) of STARRY EYES, who is substantially younger than McGregor, and veteran character actor Carl Lumbly. Dick survived in King's novel, but was killed off in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 cinematic adaptation. I assume Flanagan will be staying more faithful to the novel than to the movie, so it's interesting that he cast Essoe as Wendy, as she is somewhat similar to Kubrick's Wendy Shelley Duvall.

The DOCTOR SLEEP screenplay was initially written by Akiva Goldsman, then Flanagan did his own rewrite. Goldsman is executive producing the film, with Trevor Macy and Jon Berg producing.

DOCTOR SLEEP finds

Danny carrying the trauma of the Overlook Hotel into adulthood. He’s become a reflection of his murderous father, with a drinking problem that dulls his pain as well as his “shining” powers. Those abilities return when he embraces sobriety and uses his gift to help those dying at a hospice. He establishes a psychic connection with a young girl who shares his extreme skills, and who is being targeted by a group with similar abilities. They’ve found that their powers grow if they inhale the “steam” that comes off others, who have the power to shine, when they’re suffering painful deaths.

Rebecca Ferguson is set to play Rose the Hat, the leader of the group that's out to torture and kill people who shine. She'll be sharing scenes with actor Zahn McClarnon, who has been cast as Rose's right hand man Crow Daddy.

This is Flanagan's second King adaptation, following last year's GERALD'S GAME. DOCTOR SLEEP is set to reach theatres on January 24, 2020.