J.J. Abrams is developingThe Shiningspin-off series for HBO Max. The new series is titledOverlook, named after the iconic hotel from Stephen King’s 1977 novel. The 10-episode drama series is being written and executive produced by Dustin Thomason and Scott Brown, who worked onCastle Rockwith Abrams, King, and Warner Bros. It is believed that the writing duo are already hard at work on the series in what has been described as a “mini writing room,” in order to practice social distancing in our current climate.
HBO Max’sOverlookis a prequel series that will explore “the untold, terrifying stories of the most famous haunted hotel in American fiction.” This is completely different from the Warner Bros. 2014 project based on the hotel that was in development. That series was going to be a sequel toThe ShiningwithThe Walking Deadshowrunner Glen Mazzara writing the script and Mark Romanek on board to direct. That series never made it past the development phase at the studio and will more than likely not see the light of day at this point.
Stanley Kubrick wrote and directed 1980’sThe Shining, which is a big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The thriller stars Jack Nicholson and is considered to be one of the best movies of all time. For now, it’s not exactly clear what specific storiesOverlookwill tackle, but we should find out soon. The series is named after another one of King’s locations, much like theCastle Rockseries, which has been a success. With that being said, horror fans are still waiting to hear about a possible season 3 renewal.
Fans ofThe Shiningwere pleasantly surprised withDoctor Sleep, which was released late last year. The movie is a sequel to the 1980 classic and is based off of Stephen King’s 2013 book of the same name.Doctor Sleepis set decades after the events of the original story and combines storytelling from the 1977 novel too. The movie was written and directed by Mike Flanagan and stars Ewan McGregor as Danny Torrance, a man with psychic abilities who struggles with childhood trauma. While it was generally a hit with critics, it did not reach the box office success of recent King big screen adaptations.
HBO Maxwill launch next month, though an official date has yet to be announced. As for whenOverlookwill start production, that is unclear at the moment. Things are a bit more complicated at the moment, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens.J.J. Abramsand Bad Robot have a good relationship with Warner Bros. and Stephen King, so this seems like a series that horror fans should be looking forward to.The Hollywood Reporterwas the first to announce the newOverlookseries with J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot.
