Stephen King wrote "Doctor Sleep" in 2013, and for the last six years, it seemed like a story no filmmaker ever wanted to touch. "Doctor Sleep" is not just a sequel to the beloved "The Shining," it was also King's literary response to his distaste of Stanley Kubrick's take on "The Shining." When you read the novel, you can tell King purposely took shots at Kubrick's feature and the tweaks that were made for the film.

The opportunity to produce a "Doctor Sleep," movie would force anyone to walk a fine line between supporting fans of "The Shining" and Kubrick as well as earning the support of Stephen King.

On paper, it seemed like a major task for any filmmaker.

Warner Bros. found the perfect director for 'Doctor Sleep'

Warner Bros. needed a director with experience and so they decided to turn to horror genre filmmaker Mike Flanagan. Flanagan has a strong resume that includes prior working adapting Stephen King's work "Gerald's Game," on Netflix. After watching the movie, it's clear Mike was the right choice to helm this project. What he created a strong follow-up to one of the best horror films of our time.

Flanagan succeeds by weaving Kubrick and King's works together in "Doctor Sleep." While it's a completely different story from "The Shining," it opened the door to expand on the story and see it through an adult Dan Torrance.

The film is backed up by the star cast.

'Dr. Sleep' is the perfect character study

"Dr. Sleep" was a study on the life of Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor), with the story following the nightmarish events of "The Shining." Danny (Roger Dale Floyd) is now living with his mom, following his experiences at the Overlook Hotel the prior year.

Danny now has telepathic and psychic visits from the deceased Dick Hallorann. Now, he is living in fear of his gift.

These visits led him to serious issues as an adult including drinking and rage. This causes him to become a drunk and drifter, as he is haunted by his childhood. Dan joins a local Alcoholics Anonymous group, which is where he is psychically contacted by Abra.

His life appears to be starting to improve but it disaster hits when Abra draws the attention of the True Knot, led by Rose The Hat (Rebecca Ferguson). The True Knot is a secret organization that has existed for centuries. As Abra fights for her life, Dan must face his trauma.

Mike Flanagan crafted a work that pays tribute to both King and Kubrick

Mike Flanagan carved out a work of art, that favors both Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick. This film shows that Flanagan truly respects both King and Kubrick as artists in their own fields. Flanagan recreated the Overlook Hotel from "The Shining," and is a masterpiece. The depth he adds to characters is straight from Stephen King's works.

"Doctor Sleep" works well is the fact that it is Mike Flanagan's film.

Mike is not trying to make the best of pieces from "The Shining," or the best dialogue from Stephen King. Mike knows he is only here to make his own original film. Flanagan has proven his gift for working within the fantasy and thriller genres.

Flanagan has spent his career working with many musical talents, and this film brought back some who he has previously worked with including Bruce Greenwood, Violet McGraw, and Robert Longstreet. The performance everyone will be talking about is Rebecca Ferguson as Rose The Hat. She is now among one of the best Stephen King villains portrayed on the big screen. Possibly even better than Jack Nicholson, Jack Torrance, Kathy Bates or even Bill Skarsgard.
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