Heeere’s Johnny–enter stage right.
A new stage play based on Stephen King’s 1977 horror classic The Shining is in the pipeline for a 2023 debut in London’s West End, according to a report on Deadline, with Ben Stiller in talks to play the Jack Torrance role made famous on screen by Jack Nicholson.
The play–slated to start rehearsals this fall with an eye toward a January 2023 premiere in London–will be directed by Ivo van Hove from a stage adaptation by Simon Stephens. As might be expected, an eventual move to the Broadway stage is being planned.
The play reportedly will stick more closely to King’s bestseller than the 1980 film directed by Stanley Kubrick–which may please the horror master, who criticized the film’s deviations from his storyline.
The big-screen adaptation of The Shining–helmed by Kubrick from a screenplay he wrote with Diane Johnson–stars Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers and Danny Lloyd.
The film–now considered by many to be a horror classic–follows a family staying in an isolated hotel for the winter. While there, a sinister presence drives the father to violence, while his psychic son see horrific forebodings from the past and future.
Keep reading Horror News Network for updates on the casting and production timeline for the stage adaptation of The Shining.
