DOCTOR SLEEP Has Found Its Wendy Torrance & Dick Halloran

According to Deadline, Mike Flanagan's forthcoming Doctor Sleep adaptation has just filled two of its most important roles: Wendy Torrance and Dick Halloran, two characters who certainly need no introduction to anyone who's ever seen (or read!) The Shining.

Stepping into the role Shelley Duvall made famous is Alex Essoe, who's probably best known to the BMD crew for her work in the truly excellent 2014 horror indie, Starry Eyes. Filling out Dick Halloran's shoes will be Carl Lumbly, an actor you'll probably remember from TV's Supergirl and Alias. If you're wondering why Dick Halloran is appearing in a sequel to The Shining (given that he caught an axe to the chest at the end of that film), you probably haven't actually read The Shining (Halloran lives in that version), a personal failure we sincerely hope you'll rectify in the near future. 

Now, if you're wondering why either of these characters are being portrayed by comparatively young actors in a sequel set decades after the events of The Shining, well, we're guessing Flanagan's Doctor Sleep adaptation will incorporate a number of the same flashbacks which appeared in King's novel. Intriguingly, this likely also means that Flanagan's gonna need to cast a Jack Torrance at some point.

Just imagine that. Imagine playing Jack Torrance. Imagine having the confidence - nay, the nerve! - to try and follow in Steven Weber's footsteps. The mind reels.

Anyway, this has been your latest Doctor Sleep update. Stay tuned for more on this one as it becomes available.