Here’s Johnny … Again. ‘The Shining’ Is Getting A Prequel!

Stanley Kubrick is a cinematic genius. That's just a fact and anybody who doesn't believe me or disagrees with that statement deserves a slap. Not from me of course, I'm a lover not a fighter, but from a brute of a man who can teach this guy or gal a thing or two about cinema.

So the news that Warner Bros are exploring the possibility of filming a prequel to his 1980 horror classic is set to be met with serious trepidations by celluloid geeks.

This isn't the first Shining news to be revealed recently as Steven King, the writer of the book on which the movie is based, has just finished scribing a sequel to his novel, entitled Doctor Sleep, although neither are believed to be connected in any way shape or form.

Which is probably a good thing as King despised Kubrick's rendition of his work. The silly man.

But the studio are believed to be taking this prequel seriously as they have hired a pretty stellar line-up to work on the movie, with Leata Kalogridis, the writer of Martin Scorsese's 2010 thriller Shutter Island, set to helm the project.

So, what could the prequel entail? Here are a few suggestions for the anticipated return to Overlook Hotel.

An exploration of the Torrance family - Yeah, we all know that Jack Nicholson's Jack Torrance wasn't the greatest dad in the world but that's only because he was trapped in the hotel as a winter caretaker and struggling with his writing. Maybe before they reached Colorado Jack, Wendy and Danny were a happy family who worked together to help their J.T get over his drinking and slight abuse of his son. Yeah, I know it sounds dire. Fingers crossed they steer well clear of this option.

 1920s - One of Jack's lighter moments in The Shining sees him find the hotel corridor adorned with festive party decorations and a 1920s dance band playing to hundreds of people and partiers. It's like a ghoulish version of The Great Gatsby and the movie's ending shows that Jack has ended up there as he smiles amidst a crowd in a photograph in the the hotel's hallway. A prequel could explore his life in this decade and maybe his attempts to return back to the 70s. Kind of like, Back to the Future meets ... The Shining, it is the only horror film of its kind.

Grady - The previous caretaker at The Overlook Hotel, Phillip Stone's Grady, tells Jack at the 1920's dance party that he must "correct" his wife and child's behaviour and we are informed that he too suffered from cabin fever and murdered his family. The Shining 2 could re-shift the focus onto his spiral into murder and in turn give us an opportunity to view the power of this establishment on different souls.

Room 237 - One of the most gruesome images of The Shining is the elderly naked lady who sits in the bathtub. Don't picture it! It's too icky and gruesome. Yet this room holds a tremendous amount of power and allure throughout the movie and a deeper exploration of it's inhabitants could be even spookier than a balding forty year old wielding an axe through a hotel. I'm just saying.

Indian burial ground - Of course, the Overlook Hotel was built on the site of an Indian burial ground, a classic excuse when any spooky goings on occur. Maybe these Indians were into some freaky stuff themselves though and this prequel could go way, way back and let us view them planting the seeds of Jack Torrance's demise?