'The Overlook Hotel' - Prequel to 'The Shining'

[Walts Ghost]

It appears that Stephen King’s beloved novel The Shining is all the rage at the moment. King is set to release his sequel novel Doctor Sleep later this fall and the Shining-centric documentary Room 237 recently hit theaters, but now it appears that the story is headed to the big screen once again by way of a prequel. Glen Mazzara—who previously took over for Frank Darabont as showrunner on AMC’s The Walking Dead before being forced out of the position halfway through the most recent season—has been tapped to write the screenplay for the Warner Bros. prequel film The Overlook Hotel. Hit the jump for more.

Word first broke that Warner Bros. was considering a prequel to The Shining last summer, when it was reported that writer/producers Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) and James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) were developing the film alongside producing partner Bradley Fischer (Black Swan). It appears that the trio has settled on a story that they believe warrants a full film, as Deadline now reports that Glen Mazzara has been hired to pen the screenplay for The Overlook Hotel.

No further details for the film are given, but it’s reasonable to assume that the story will involve the haunted goings-on at the titular hotel prior to The Torrence’s arrival. Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining is a masterpiece so Mazzara certainly has some big shoes to fill, but it’ll be interesting to see if he strikes a tone similar to Kubrick’s film or if his take falls more in line with King’s original novel.

Mazzara did some solid work on the first half of The Walking Dead season three, but the show took a bit of a creative nosedive in the back half. He reportedly exited the showrunner position due to a difference of opinion over the show’s direction in season four. His other TV writing credits include The Shield, Hawthorne, and the Starz series Crash, which he created.

What do you think, readers? Is a Shining prequel necessary? What would you like to see from the film?

http://collider.com/the-shining-preq...verlook-hotel/