Ewan McGregor has been cast as the adult Danny Torrance in Doctor Sleep, the Warner Bros. adaptation of Stephen King's 2013 sequel to The Shining.

The novel picks up years after the traumatic events at the Overlook Hotel, as Danny grapples with the same alcohol and anger issues his father experienced. Both have led to the dilution of his ‘Shining’ powers, which slowly begin to re-emerge as Danny turns to sobriety, and uses them to help hospice patients. During this time, he develops a connection with a young girl, Abra Stone, who comes to possess the same Shining abilities as he does. Both later end up in the cross hairs of a tribe of paranormals led by a man known only as Rose the Hat.

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According to Variety reporter Justin Kroll, McGregor edged out the likes of Matt Smith, Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner for the role in director Mike Flanagan's film. Variety's sources say King gave the casting his blessing.

Although Stanley Kubrick's The Shining became a cult classic, King was famously dissatisfied with the 1980 adaptation, and went on to write his own 1997 television miniseries.

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Flanagan is known for such horror films as Before I Wake and Hush, but also recently turned King's Gerald's Game into a popular Netflix series. Considering the industry is preparing for the Castle Rock anthology series, It: Chapter 2, a potential Dark Tower TV series and a film adaptation of The Stand, it is a big moment for King's work.