Doctor Sleep to Run Longer Than The Shining & Receive Early Screenings

As if the anticipation hadn’t already been built up enough, it has been revealed that the upcoming sequel to Stephen King’s acclaimed The Shining, Doctor Sleep, will not only run longer than the praised Stanley Kubrick 1980 film adaptation of its predecessor, but will also receive special early screenings from Fandango nine days ahead of the film’s release!

RELATED: Doctor Sleep Poster: Dare to Go Back to Where It All Began

Kubrick’s The Shining ran for 2 hours and 26 minutes and Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep is set to run at 2 hours and 32 minutes which, though not much longer than its predecessor, does match up with the fact the sequel’s source material is also longer than its predecessor, giving more room to tell its twisting and terrifying tale (via Bloody Disgusting).

Yeah, you may want to go with the SMALL soda… https://t.co/16ZYaehmbA

— Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) October 14, 2019

Doctor Sleep continues the story of Danny Torrance, 40 years after his terrifying stay at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson and newcomer Kyliegh Curran star in the supernatural thriller, directed by Mike Flanagan, from his own screenplay based upon the novel by Stephen King.

Still irrevocably scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, Dan Torrance has fought to find some semblance of peace. But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra, a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the “shine.” Instinctively recognizing that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality. Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. Abra’s innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before—at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past.

Adapted from Stephen King’s bestselling sequel, the movie stars Ewan McGregor (Star Wars: Episodes I, II & III, T2 Trainspotting) as Dan Torrance, Rebecca Ferguson (the Mission: Impossible films, The Greatest Showman) as Rose the Hat, and Kyliegh Curran, in her major feature film debut, as Abra. The main ensemble cast also includes Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Alex Essoe and Cliff Curtis.

Fandango is teaming up with Warner Bros. to debut the film nine days ahead of its release at 400 theaters nationwide with chains including Regal, AMC, Harkins, Cinemark, Marcus Theaters and other participating chains, with those who are a part of Fandango’s VIP membership rewards program being able to head to the ticketing website now to reserve their advanced seats.

“We’re excited to work with Warner Bros to offer film fans their first chance to see ‘Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep’ on October 30, just in time for Halloween,” Fandango President Paul Yanover said in a statement. “With our early access screenings, we are committed to ‘eventizing’ the movies and working closely with studios and filmmakers to surprise and delight moviegoers.”

RELATED: New Doctor Sleep Trailer Takes a Shine to Danny Torrance

Doctor Sleep was written and directed by Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House). Trevor Macy and Jon Berg produced the film, with Roy Lee, Scott Lumpkin, Akiva Goldsman and Kevin McCormick serving as executive producers.

Warner Bros. Pictures will release Doctor Sleep in North America on November 8, and globally beginning on October 30.