Trailers: Doctor Sleep

The final trailer for Doctor Sleep evokes Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining even more than the teaser trailer did, indicating that Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) makes a return visit to the Overlook Hotel in an effort to save Abra Stone (Kyliegh Curran) from Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson). The Overlook, of course, is obliterated in Stephen King’s source novel but survives in the film version. This is one more indication that writer-director Mike Flanagan has fashioned Doctor Sleep as a sequel to Kubrick’s film even though the script is officially based on King’s book.

Doctor Sleep Teaser Trailer (original post)

Considering how much Stephen King hates Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining, it’s interesting to see this trailer do everything it can to make the connection between Doctor Sleep and Kubrick’s film, including Wendy’s Carlos’ ominous synthesizer rendition of Dies Irae and flashback’s of young Danny Torrance riding his tricycle through the corridors of the Overlook Hotel.  One would have expected King to follow in the footsteps of author Pamela Lyndon Travers, who refused sign a deal for a Mary Poppins sequel unless it contained no references to the original film (which is why Disney waited until after Travers died to make Mary Poppins Returns).  In any case, Ewan McGregor seems well cast as the adult version of Danny, and the film looks intriguing. Since this represents only the second Kubrick film to be sequelized, hopefully Doctor Sleep will turn out better than 2010: The Year We Make Contact.

Release Date: November 8, 2019.

Note: This post has been updated to include Doctor Sleep‘s final trailer.