New Report Says Music Video Director Mark Romanek Might Helm The Shining Prequel Overlook Hotel

Mark Romanek is best known for his work on music videos for artists like Madonna but it looks like he may be taking a vacation to Overlook Hotel soon.

We’ve known Hollywood was working on a prequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining since 2012. Now Variety reports Romanek is “in negotiations” to sit in the director’s chair. They also gave solid information on where the film would take us.

Former “Walking Dead” showrunner Glen Mazzara recently turned in his draft for the original story, with Mythology’s Brad Fischer, James Vanderbilt and Laeta Kalogridis producing.

Based on Stephen King’s original prologue to “The Shining”, which was cut from the book prior to publication in 1977, the film will tell the origin story of the Overlook Hotel through the eyes of its first owner, Bob T. Watson. A robber baron at the turn of the 20th century, Watson scaled the remote peaks of the Colorado Rockies to build the grandest resort in America, and a place he and his family would also call home.

While I’m hesitant on this prequel for regular prequel/reboot/remake reasons, this is exactly the direction I hoped it would take. Variety also notes Warner Bros. is trying to get a film going on Stephen King’s sequel to The Shining, Dr. Sleep.

Besides his music video work, Romanek also directed the thriller One Hour Photo and the Locke & Key pilot which never made it to television. Do you think he’s the right person for the job?

Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, & Google +?

Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com

Author

Close

Jill Pantozzi

Jill Pantozzi is a pop-culture journalist and host who writes about all things nerdy and beyond! She’s Editor in Chief of the geek girl culture site The Mary Sue (Abrams Media Network), and hosts her own blog “Has Boobs, Reads Comics” (TheNerdyBird.com). She co-hosts the Crazy Sexy Geeks podcast along with superhero historian Alan Kistler, contributed to a book of essays titled “Chicks Read Comics,” (Mad Norwegian Press) and had her first comic book story in the IDW anthology, “Womanthology.” In 2012, she was featured on National Geographic’s "Comic Store Heroes," a documentary on the lives of comic book fans and the following year she was one of many Batman fans profiled in the documentary, "Legends of the Knight."

twitter facebook