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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Wednesday 6 november 2019
In 'Doctor Sleep,' a filmmaker reconciles 'The Shining' rift

By LINDSEY BAHR feated laugh. "He has not
Associated Press eased up."
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Film- Even so, Kubrick's imagery
maker Mike Flanagan knew is all over "Doctor Sleep,"
his vision to fuse Stanley which is centered on an
Kubrick's "The Shining" with adult Danny Torrance,
Stephen King's 2013 sequel played by Ewan Mc-
"Doctor Sleep" would be a Gregor. Yet somehow the
hard sell with the author. film, which opens nation-
King's disdain for the 1980 wide Thursday night, has
adaptation is well-known already gotten the stamp
and has not abated with of approval from both King
time. and the Kubrick estate.
"No, no," Flanagan said, And it's all thanks Flana-
shaking his head with a de- gan, who wrote, directed

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ewan McGregor in a scene from "Doctor
Sleep."
Associated Press
and edited "Doctor Sleep," up using three shots: One of in 'The Shining,'" McGregor
and had been wrestling an island in a canyon and said. "But I don't want to
with the paradox of both two of a car driving up the know that as Danny. I'm
being a "King fanatic" and winding mountain road) as thinking about being Dan-
worshiping the film since he well as the original blue- ny at this moment in time."
was a kid. "I always had this prints for the sets. The "Doc- Although the recreations
ache," Flanagan said. tor Sleep" team would use were memorable for ev-
When he picked up "Doc- these to reconstruct places eryone involved, the film is
tor Sleep," the words were like The Gold Room and more than a "Shining" trib-
King's but the images that The Colorado Lounge on a ute: It's a character study
popped in his head were soundstage in Atlanta that about addiction and trau-
Kubrick's. But then he start- had everyone downright ma. So when McGregor
ed thinking about how he giddy. "I just started grin- sat down to meet with Fla-
could reconcile the two ning. It's like walking into nagan, who was editing
and he and his producer your own memory," Flana- his similarly-themed Netflix
set out on a years-long jour- gan said. "The hope was series "The Haunting of Hill
ney to make that happen. that if we could transfer a House," he didn't want to
Warner Bros. had the rights percentage of that to the talk about "The Shining."
to the book, which was al- viewer than this is a movie He wanted to talk about
ready in development with worth making." recovery, and he found
a different writer. But by the Some cast and crew even himself opening up to Fla-
time Flanagan got in the got sticky fingers. Flanagan nagan in ways he didn't
door, with an adaptation walked off with an ax and expect.
of King's "Gerald's Game" a few other things. And "I've lived sober for many,
under his belt, the studio Rebecca Ferguson, who many years, so I've gotten
was open to his take, which plays the villain "Rose the my head straight with al-
would involve a pretty sig- Hat," swiped five pages of coholism," McGregor said.
nificant change from the paper from the desk that "But I've never explored
novel: Going back to the say, "All work and no play alcoholism (in a role) . So
Overlook Hotel. makes Jack a dull boy. to tackle something that is
When he first asked King "I have them all framed at personal to me like that, I
for permission to meld the home," she said with a dev- thought well, here's some-
book and Kubrick's film, the ilish grin. body I trust and I like. It
author said no. But then he But knowing the original film seemed like a good com-
explained one scene he'd also made it a little chal- bination."
been dreaming up — set in lenging when they veered The film picks up with adult
the hotel at the bar — that into straight homage. Mc- Danny Torrance at rock
he thought would address Gregor forced himself to bottom and follows him as
King's primary criticism that "forget" what he knows he tries to get sober while
the film didn't do justice Jack Nicholson did in a also helping out a teenage
to the arc of the Torrance scene where he, as Dan- girl, Abra (newcomer Ky-
family. Suddenly, King's ny, comes upon the door liegh Curran), who shares
answer changed to "go that Jack Torrance burst his "shine" and has attract-
ahead." through with an ax and ed a group of RV-dwelling
Not only was the author looks through the opening. "quasi-immortals." Led by
supportive, but the Ku- "There's no way you can Rose the Hat, the group
brick Estate was too. They not know as an actor what feeds on the "steam" held
offered access to original the shot is, it's reminding the by those with Danny and
footage (Flanagan ended audience of that moment Abra's unique abilities.q