Is ‘Doctor Sleep’ A ‘Shining’ Sequel, Remake Or Prequel Movie?

Almost 40 years after the film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1977 novel, “The Shining,” came out, the horror story continues with the release of “Doctor Sleep” on Friday.

The 2019 film, which was written and directed by Mike Flanagan, is based on King’s 2013 novel of the same name and finds Danny Torrance — played in the new movie by Ewan McGregor and by Danny Lloyd in the 1980 film — still working through the events he went through all of those years ago.

That’s right, “Doctor Sleep” isn’t a prequel or remake of “The Shining,” but, instead, a full-on sequel of the 1980 movie.

Along with McGregor, it also stars Rebecca Ferguson (Rose the Hat), Kyliegh Curran (Abra Stone), Emily Alyn Lind (Snakebite Andi), Carl Lumbly (Dick Hallorann), Zahn McClarnon (Crow Daddy) and Bruce Greenwood (Dr. John Dalton). “The Shining” fans will also see Lloyd make a cameo appearance in the sequel.

After so many years have passed, what does Danny’s life look like now? What is the next chapter in the story all about? Well, let’s take a look.

“Still irrevocably scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, Dan Torrance has fought to find some semblance of peace,” according to the synopsis. “But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra, a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the ‘shine.’”

“Instinctively recognizing that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality. Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. Abra's innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before—at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past.”

“Doctor Sleep” hits theaters on Friday.