The Shining prequel was canceled because the sequel Doctor Sleep flopped at the box office

According to director Mike Flanagan, Warner Bros. has canceled the prequel to the classic horror film The Shining due to the lackluster box office performance of his 2019 sequel Doctor Sleep. Responding to a fan on Twitter, Flanagan explained that they "almost" started filming the prequel, but the studio "chose not to proceed."

Doctor Sleep is based on the 2013 Stephen King novel of the same name, but it’s unlikely that the famous author will write a prequel to The Shining anytime soon. His latest book, Fairy Tale, was published on September 6 this year, and it has been confirmed that Paul Greengrass, the director of Jason Bourne, will direct the film.

Despite having big names like Ewan McGregor, 2019's Doctor Sleep was not well received by critics. Upon its release, the film ranked only 59th on Metacritic. Mike Flanagan told IndieWire in 2020 that the performance of Doctor Sleep ended his hopes of filming a prequel to The Shining, based on Stephen King's originally planned but later abandoned prologue to his 1977 novel.