Deadline reported that Warner Bros. hired the now departed Walking Dead show-runner Glen Mazzara to write a Shining prequel titled The Overlook Hotel. That seemed interesting, but as a Stephen King fan, it is not a thrilling idea.
It seems Stephen King himself is not happy with the idea either and believes that Warner Bros. might not even have the right to make that movie.
King now believes that the rights Warner Bros. held to his book might be lapsed, since it has been over 30 years since it was released. He also said that the age of the book means the rights have already reverted back to him as well.
While Walking Dead fans might be excited to see what Glen Mazzara could do with this story, King is not. According to the author, he wrote bookends to The Shining called Before the Play and After the Play. He put After the Play in the book and eliminated Before the Play, and he says that means they don’t have rights to that Shining prequel.
It is also ironic that they are talking about the Shining prequel at the same time that King is releasing a sequel called Doctor Sleep, which follows an adult Danny as he continues to use his “Shining” to help people.
I’m not saying I would put a stop to the project, because I’m sort of a nice guy. When I was a kid, my mother said, ‘Stephen if you were a girl, you’d always be pregnant.’ I have a tendency to let people develop things. I’m always curious to see what will happen. But you know what? I would be just as happy if it didn’t happen.
Source: EW.com