Stephen King Reveals Plans To Release "The Shining" Sequel

November 26, 2009 6:05 a.m. EST

Toronto, Canada (CNS) - Stephen King is writing a sequel to his 1977 cult classic "The Shining." The horror fiction writer reveals that he began working on the new novel last summer.

According to the Torontoist, the 62-year-old novelist was at the Canon Theater in Toronto last week, treating fans to a 15-minute reading from his new book, "Under the Dome."

While there, King casually remarked about an idea that he began working on. He is planning to continue Danny Torrance's adventure on a new book. Danny is the main character in the first novel.

In the planned sequel, Danny is now 40 years old and living in upstate New York, working as the equivalent of an orderly at a hospice for the terminally ill. His real job is to visit with patients who are just about to pass onto the other side and help them make that journey.

He also has a sideline on betting on the horses, a trick he learned from Dick Hallorann, the chef of the Overlook Hotel, the main location of the first book.

The title of the intended book is "Doctor Sleep."

But King dampened the audiences' growing excitement a bit when he said he wasn't fully committed to the project, saying that if he keeps talking about it, he won't have to write it.

"The Shining" was released in 1977 and was adapted into a Stanley Kubrick film in 1980, starring Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd, and Shelley Duvall.