In the wake of the release of “Doctor Sleep,” a direct sequel to Stanley Kubrick‘s iconic haunted house flick “The Shining” starring Ewan McGregor (“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” “Trainspotting“) as an adult, Danny Torrance facing an evil outside of the hotel, J.J. Abrams was looking to developing a spinoff series “Overlook” (the haunted hotel at the center of “The Shining”).
The new series was originally heading to HBO Max as part of Bad Robot‘s new production deal at WarnerMedia, worth a whopping $250 million.
However, a new report from The Hollywood Reporter has slashed those plans to pieces as HBO Max is said to have passed on Abrams’ “Overlook Hotel” and will now seek a new home. The report mentions that streaming giant Netflix is now considered the “frontrunner.” They’ve been extremely keen on Stephen King adaptations in the past and multiple horror series from “Doctor Sleep” director Mike Flanagan, so taking it to Netflix tracks.
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Abrams is also behind a string of DC Comics projects at WarnerMedia such as a new feature film incarnation of “Superman” with a black version of the superhero, “Justice League Dark” project, a new “Constantine” series, and another show focused on “Madame X.” WarnerMedia is said to have wanted him to focus on those comic book projects.
Netflix is currently in production on “Guillermo del Toro Presents: 12 After Midnight” (formerly “10 After Midnight“), a high-end horror anthology that will be directed by Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water“), Jennifer Kent (“The Babadok“), and recent addition David Prior (“The Empty Man“).
Adding “Overlook” to their lineup would be another notch in their horror series belt.