The World Of Stephen King’s The Shining Is Expanding In A Huge Way, And Mike Flanagan Is Involved

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Mike Flanagan is a favorite among Stephen King fans. From the start of his career, he’s been deeply inspired by King’s work – his first short film was even loosely based on “1408” – and his connection to the author continues to grow. He’s already directed some of the best King adaptations ever, including *Gerald’s Game*, *Doctor Sleep*, and *The Life of Chuck*. Now, he’s creating a *Carrie* limited series for Amazon Prime Video and is also working towards his long-awaited adaptation of *The Dark Tower*. Plus, he’s contributing to a new project that will add to the story of *The Shining*.

The biggest news this week in The King Beat is the announcement of a new book. We also have an interesting update for fans of Francis Lawrence’s *The Long Walk*: a look at an alternate ending! There’s plenty to cover, so let’s get started.

Views From The Overlook Will Reveal Stories From The Dark Past Of The Overlook Hotel

It’s been a fantastic year for Stephen King fans, as I’ve mentioned often this year. We’ve seen several adaptations of his work, including movies and TV shows like *The Monkey*, *The Life of Chuck*, *The Institute*, *The Long Walk*, *IT: Welcome to Derry*, and *The Running Man*. Plus, King released two new books, *Never Flinch* and *Hansel & Gretel*. But perhaps the biggest surprise has been the anthology *The End Of The World As We Know It*, which brilliantly expands on the world of *The Stand*. The collection features stories set after the devastating Captain Trips virus, and includes contributions from some of today’s most talented writers.

A new project is being developed, and this time it will be based on Stephen King’s novel, *The Shining*.

Publishers Marketplace recently announced a new horror anthology titled *Views From The Overlook*, being put together by Jamie Flanagan, known for their writing and producing work on popular streaming series like *The Haunting Of Bly Manor*, *Midnight Mass*, and *The Fall Of The House Of Usher*. While the complete creative team hasn’t been announced, confirmed authors include Mike Flanagan, Chuck Palahniuk, Christopher Golden, and Brian Keene. Notably, Golden and Keene previously collaborated as editors on the anthology *The End Of The World As We Know It*.

The upcoming anthology, *Views From The Overlook*, will focus solely on stories that take place *before* the events of Stephen King’s *The Shining*. Unlike other anthologies expanding the world of *The Stand*, which cover events before, during, and after the main story, this collection will explore the dark history of the Overlook Hotel – the same history Jack Torrance begins to uncover before his descent into madness. Given that the hotel is destroyed by fire at the end of *The Shining*, prequel stories are a natural fit for this collection.

This isn’t Mike Flanagan’s first time exploring the spooky hotel in the isolated Colorado town of Sidewinder, but whatever story he tells now will be quite different from his work on *Doctor Sleep*. That 2019 film was a huge undertaking, as Flanagan had to blend Stephen King’s sequel novel with Stanley Kubrick’s *The Shining* – a film King himself wasn’t a fan of.

We’re eager to know when we can finally read *Views From The Overlook*, but unfortunately, there’s no release date yet. The previous book, *The End Of The World As We Know It*, was announced in October 2023 and wasn’t available until August of this year. If *Views From The Overlook* follows a similar schedule, we might not get our hands on it until summer 2027, though the timeline could shift either way.

I’ll definitely be following the project’s development and finding out which other authors will be involved. I’m especially hoping to see more writers from *The Stand* anthology included, such as Paul Tremblay, Josh Malerman, Joe R. Lansdale, Bev Vincent, and Catriona Ward – I’d really enjoy that.

If you haven’t read *The End Of The World As We Know It* yet, you’re in for a treat! It’s full of fantastic and unsettling stories, and it’s a great showcase of Stephen King’s incredible storytelling ability.

Want To See The Long Walk’s Alternate Ending? You’ll Need To Purchase The 4K UHD Steelbook

Last month, in my newsletter, I mentioned that you could now pre-order the home video release of *The Long Walk*. I was particularly excited about the 4K UHD Steelbook edition, which I think is the highest quality format currently available. Besides the movie itself, directed by Francis Lawrence and based on the Stephen King story, it will include bonus features, and the alternate ending is especially interesting.

I recently found out that if you’re hoping to watch the alternate ending and a couple of bonus features, the 4K UHD Steelbook is the only way to get them.

Lionsgate announced this Tuesday when fans can expect *The Long Walk* to be available on home video. Interestingly, not all versions will have the same extras. While the standard 4K UHD and Blu-ray releases will include trailers and a behind-the-scenes documentary called *Ever Onward: Making The Long Walk*, a special Steelbook edition – sold exclusively on Amazon – will come with three unique bonus features.

  • Alternate Ending
  • Stephen King: An Appreciation
  • Cooper & David Scene Read

We don’t have details about the content or length of this alternate ending yet, but I think it’s worth getting just to see how it differs from the original movie, *The Long Walk*. Since the film already takes some liberties with Stephen King’s book, I’m wondering if this ending is a closer adaptation. Or, it could be completely new, or just a slightly different version of what we already saw with a few different decisions made.

If you didn’t get a chance to see *The Long Walk* in cinemas or prefer to watch at home right away, it will be available to rent or buy digitally starting next Tuesday, October 21st. The 4K UHD Steelbook and Blu-ray versions will be released on November 25th (though it’s not a film for Thanksgiving!), and the standard 4K UHD will follow on December 23rd (and it’s certainly not a Christmas movie!). You can pre-order your copy now.

I’ll definitely be sharing more about the alternate ending of *The Long Walk* here on TopMob in the coming weeks. I’m looking forward to seeing it myself so I can compare it to both the book’s ending and the version currently in theaters, and I’ll be sure to share my thoughts and analysis when I do.

That’s all for this week’s King Beat! I’ll be back next Thursday with a fresh column packed with the latest Stephen King news and updates. I’ve recently interviewed cast and crew from the new HBO series *IT: Welcome To Derry*, so keep an eye out for those stories and more coming soon.

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2025-10-16 19:10