Mark Romanek has been tapped to helm The Overlook Hotel, a prequel to Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining.
Some hotels are just terrible, terrible places. But at least the (directorial) service will be top-notch at The Overlook Hotel.
Mark Romanek, director of One Hour Photo and Never Let Me Go, has been tapped by Warner Bros. to lens a return to the most infamous Sierra Nevada lodging ever dreamed up by Stephen King—and then immortalized by Stanley Kubrick.
Designed to specifically be a prequel to the 1981 cult classic that Kubrick directed, and which starred Jack Nicholson at his most Jack-ish, the movie has a lot to live up to but the pedigree around it thus far seems more promising than the TV miniseries Shining remake from the late ‘90s. For starters, The Walking Dead’s fan favorite showrunner, Glen Mazzara, has already turned in a draft.
Further, this story is not being invented out of whole cloth for remake purposes, as it is based on the original prologue to Stephen King’s 1977 publication of The Shining, which was removed from the book before printing. In that original story, a turn of the century mogul named Bob T. Watson scaled the heights of the Colorado Rockies to build the most luxurious world-class hotel resort in the world. He’d even make his family home out of it…If only he picked a better location.
Considered one of the greatest horror films of all time, The Shining has a legendary reputation, especially since Kubrick worked on the film supposedly until the end of his life. However, the mythology of the Overlook Hotel is certainly rich enough, right down to the fact that it was the sight of a battleground between Native Americans and contract builders due to its location on sacred grounds.
Romanek is also an intriguing choice for anyone who has watched the creepy and bizarre One Hour Photo. He previously was to direct Universal Pictures’ remake of The Wolfman and indeed is responsible for the look and much of the casting of that picture—even though he was removed at the last minute due to creative differences and his more highbrow treatment of the material. Something tells us that he will not have any such restrictions when venturing into Kubrick’s version of King.
Also, be sure to check out our comprehensive list of every Stephen King movie and TV series in development.
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