We’ve got a couple of brand new posters forDoctor Sleep. This upcoming sequel toThe Shiningis arguably one of the biggest horror movie events to come our way in a long time, even taking into account that this year also saw the release ofIT Chapter Two. Stanley Kubrick’s big screen take on Stephen King’s iconic novel remains a touchstone in cinema history. So the fact that we’re getting a sequel all these years later is no small thing, and these posters are literally daring us to go back for another visit at the Overlook Hotel.
As has been the case with all of the marketing so far, both of these posters, one for the U.S. release and one international one-sheet, lean heavily on the connections toThe Shining. The U.S. poster is blood red and features a very familiar hallway to those who are fans of Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. We see Ewan McGregor as an adult Danny Torrence (or Dan Torrence, as has been put forth in the marketing), staring down his younger self. It positions the movie as “the next chapter inThe Shiningstory.” Both posters come with the following tagline.
“Dare to go back.”
The international poster is bright yellow and similarly focuses onEwan McGregor’s central character. In this case, he’s picking up in his father’s footsteps, popping his head through a slightly broken door. This very same imagery has been teased in the trailers. Director Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House,Gerlad’s Game) has previously said that he’s aiming to make this a sequel to both the novel and Kubrick’s movie. The two are very different and Stephen King is famously isn’t a fan of the movie, which makes that quite the unique challenge.
Doctor Sleepcenters on an adultDanny Torrancewho has found some semblance of peace following the events of his youth at theOverlook Hotel. Unfortunately, that bit of peace is disrupted when he encounters Abra, a teenager who also has the ability to “shine.” Realizing Dan also has that power, she seeks him out as she’s desperate for help because the evil Rose the Hat and her followers, known as The True Knot, are after her. Rose and her followers feed off the shine of innocents in a quest for immortality. Dan and Abra are then forced into a life-or-death battle against Rose and The True Knot.
The full cast includes Kyleigh Curran, Rebecca Ferguson, Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Alex Essoe and Cliff Curtis. This is just the latest in a long line of high-profile Stephen King adaptations, which largely came as a result ofIT’s massive success. Will this be another winner? We’ll know soon enough, asDoctor Sleepis set to hit theaters on November 8 fromWarner Bros.Be sure to check out the new posters for yourself below.
