Stephen King‘s The Shining is headed to the stage with a brand new adaptation from Ivo van Hove, and Deadline reports today that Ben Stiller is in talks to star as Jack Torrance!
Deadline reports, “Rehearsals are set to begin in the fall, with London performances targeted for January 2023. An eventual move to Broadway is expected.”
King’s classic horror novel is being adapted for the stage by Tony winner Simon Stephens (Morning Son), with Ivo van Hove (West Side Story) leading the team.
Deadline notes in their report, “Sources say the stage play of The Shining will adhere more closely with King’s 1977 book than Stanley Kubrick’s film.” This is surely music to Stephen King’s ears, as King is famously not a fan of Stanley Kubrick’s iconic take on his material.
Jack Torrance was of course played by Jack Nicholson in Kubrick’s classic horror film, the role subsequently played by Steven Weber in the 1997 mini-series directed by Mick Garris.
More recently, Henry Thomas played Jack in Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep.
It’s always interesting to see comic actors take on darker, more serious material, and Ben Stiller as Jack Torrance in The Shining is certainly an intriguing bit of casting that could turn out to be quite inspired. Stiller is of course no stranger to showing off his dramatic acting chops, in films including The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Permanent Midnight, and Empire of the Sun.
Stiller most recently directed the Apple TV+ thriller series “Severance.”
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