‘The Shining’ prequel in the works?

Will Perkins
·Blogger

No matter how well intentioned a prequel to a classic movie might be, some films just need to be left alone. One such classic is Stanley Kubrick's terrifying 1980 horror film "The Shining."

Loosely based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, "The Shining" is considered by many to be one of Kubrick's best movies — and by the high standards set by the director's other movies, that is saying something. Any attempt to revisit, augment, or add to Kubrick's film with a prequel (à la John Carpenter's "The Thing") is sure to be met with scorn by film fans. Regardless, Warner Bros. appears to be pursuing a prequel, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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Warner has reportedly hired writer-producer Laeta Kalogridis ("Shutter Island") and her producing partners Bradley Fischer and James Vanderbilt to tinker with "Shining" prequel ideas. A prequel would delve into the life of the Torrance family before their ill-fated stay at the snowbound Overlook Hotel.

The project is still very early in the development process, but good luck to whoever is ultimately cast to fill the shoes of Jack Nicholson's Jack Torrance. "The Shining" is easily one of Nicholson's best-known roles and probably one of his best acting performances. For another actor to even attempt to play the role might cheapen Nicholson's amazing and deranged turn as the Torrance family patriarch. Despite Kalogridis' strong and thematically similar work on "Shutter Island," the whole thing just seems like a bad idea.

See more: 'The Hobbit' to be turned into a trilogy

The prequel news comes just as author King is set to release a literary sequel to his original "Shining" novel entitled "Dr. Sleep." King's new story will catch up with the telepathically gifted Danny Torrance years after the horrible events (which were slightly different in Kubrick's movie) that befell his family in the Colorado Rockies.

What more is there to tell, Hollywood? What could another movie really add to the overall story? Do you really want to see a prequel or a sequel to "The Shining?"

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