Just yesterday it was announced that Mike Flanagan's DOCTOR SLEEP would be coming to Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD in February with a brand-new three-hour Director's Cut. That's a lot of movie. The Director's Cut is said to feature nearly 30 minutes of new, alternate, and extended scenes selected by Mike Flanagan which weren't seen in theaters, and Flanagan recently spoke with Collider to offer a little tease about the contents of this new cut.
Mike Flanagan made it known right off the bat that this Director's Cut of DOCTOR SLEEP is a completely polished new cut of the movie, with finished visual effects and an additional score to go along with the new scenes. "There are some big new scenes, for sure," Flanagan told Collider. "I don’t want to spoil any of that, but I can say that there is new material throughout (including in the final act at the Overlook). Some of my favorite stuff involved Young Danny and Wendy (there’s some terrific material with Alex Essoe that I’m thrilled is restored here), and will be familiar to fans of the book. There’s also a fair amount of new stuff involving young Abra in the film’s first act, learning about her shine, and how it affects her parents." Flanagan continued:
All in all, I think this cut is more literary than the theatrical cut. It very much feels like reading a novel… and is even broken into chapters, which gave this cut a very fun structure. I’m very proud of it and so grateful that it’ll be available to fans.
For the rest of what Flanagan has to say, you'll have to head over to Collider. Personally, I can't wait to check out Mike Flanagan's Director's Cut of DOCTOR SLEEP; the theatrical cut was already fairly long, especially for a horror movie, but I'm certainly down to spend a little more time in the world of Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor).
The official synopsis of DOCTOR SLEEP:
Still irrevocably scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) has fought to find some semblance of peace. But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra (Kyliegh Curran), a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the 'shine.' Instinctively recognizing that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality. Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. Abra’s innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before—at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past.
DOCTOR SLEEP will hit Digital on January 21, 2020, followed by a DVD/Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD release on February 4, 2020.