Danny Lloyd, the actor who played Danny Torrance in the original The Shining, reacts to the trailer for Doctor Sleep. The Shining was released back in 1980, only three years after Stephen King released his horror novel of the same name. The film was directed by Stanley Kubrick, who had previously worked on films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange. Now, nearly 40 years after the original, the film is getting a sequel called Doctor Sleep.
Doctor Sleep is also based on King's sequel novel to The Shining, which he released in 2013. Like most of King's books, Doctor Sleep was bound to be adapted into a film. The film really started to pick up speed when Mike Flanagan signed on to direct Doctor Sleep, after previously directing the adaption of King's novel Gerald's Game. It was later revealed that Ewan McGregor had been cast as the adult version of Danny Torrance, as well as Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat, the leader of a cult called The True Knot. Danny Torrance was originally played by Lloyd, who has now spoken about the new Doctor Sleep teaser trailer.
Even though he hasn't acted since the '80s and is now a biology professor in Kentucky, THR was lucky enough to get an interview with the once child actor. When asked about the trailer Lloyd explained, "I was surprised. It looked really good. I was curious since there is a fine line they have to walk with Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick. It looks like they found a way to pay tribute to both." Lloyd also revealed that he liked King's Doctor Sleep book and thinks that McGregor will do great as the grown up Danny Torrance.
Since the trailer also recreated some iconic scenes from the first film (with what looks to be actor Jacob Tremblay), Lloyd also reminisced about his days working with Kubrick, Jack Nicholson, and Shelley Duvall. Lloyd recalled how kind Kubrick was to him during shooting, probably since he was only five at the time, saying, "He wanted me to act scared, but he didn't want me to be scared of anything." Lloyd then went on to talk about how he doesn't openly talk about the film in class, but has let his own children watch the film. Like many horror fans, Lloyd expressed his anticipation for the film, revealing, "I'd like to see it right when it comes out."
While The Shining is often considered one of the greatest horror movies ever made, King has been vocal in the past on his hatred of Kubrick's vision for The Shining. That being said, Flanagan has explained that his upcoming film will be a sequel to both King's and Kubrick's versions of The Shining, elaborating that he even got approval from King himself. From the fan reactions of the trailer for Doctor Sleep, most people seem to have the same opinion as Lloyd. Also, with the amount of fans that Kubrick, King, and McGregor all have, moviegoers will no doubt come to the theaters in November to see Doctor Sleep.
Source: THR
