Mark Romanek in Talks to Direct 'The Shining' Prequel, 'Overlook Hotel'

Mark Romanek is one of the best directors out there who nobody seems to know, and maybe it's because his output is so sporadic. He gained a lot of attention for 2002's One Hour Photo which had Robin Williams in arguably his darkest (and finest) performance, and most recently he directed the underrated sci-fi drama Never Let Me Go. He's been attached to some big studio projects since then with nothing really happening, but now he's shown interest in directing Warner Bros.' prequel to The Shining, titled Overlook Hotel.

Variety reports Romanek has entered talks to helm the origin tale that serves as a precursor to Stanley Kubrick's classic horror. Glenn Mazzarra, a writer on The Walking Dead, has written the script based on an unpublished prologue that Stephen King cut from the novel. He ended up writing a sequel titled Doctor Sleep that Warner Bros. hopes to bring to theaters, as well, basically turning The Shining into just another of their franchises. Overlook Hotel will be seen "through the eyes of its first owner, Bob T. Watson. A robber baron at the turn of the 20th century, Watson scaled the remote peaks of the Colorado Rockies to build the grandest resort in America, and a place he and his family would also call home."

This is a project WB has been developing for awhile, and earlier this year they were making offers to Alfonso Cuaron to direct. He turned it down but Romanek should make for a fitting alternative.  [Variety]