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"Weirdest news of the week" – The internet reacts to Ewan McGregor being cast as Danny Torrance in The Shining sequel

News
By Bradley Russell published 14 June 2018

Heeeeere’s Obi-Wan!

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An side-by-side image of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars and Danny Torrance from The Shining
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No, you’re not going crazy. Ewan McGregor is going to play Danny Torrance in Doctor Sleep, a direct sequel to The Shining. As you can imagine, the fine people of Twitter didn’t quite know what to make of it. To tell you the truth, neither do I.

First up, here’s the story: Variety are reporting that Ewan McGregor is the lead in Doctor Sleep, an adaptation of Stephen King’s 2013 sequel to The Shining. In it, Danny Torrance is all grown-up and is just a little bit out of whack thanks to, y’know, his dad trying to murder him and his mother all those years ago. That tends to mess you up just a little bit. Or so I’ve heard. For the avoidance of doubt: this isn’t a cash grab of a sequel… it’s just very, very weird. So, how did the internet react? Let’s find out!

Some are just straight-up confused.

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EWEN MCGREGOR IS GONNA BE IN THE DOCTOR SLEEP MOVIE WTFFFF14 June 2018

I never read Doctor Sleep and have no idea what to think of this?13 June 2018

Where others are all-in on the casting announcement…

In weirdest news of the week, (it is only Thursday I suppose) Ewan McGregor is to play a middle aged Danny Torrance in sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleep. Here he will try to shed his alcoholism, after he meets a girl with the strong shining powers and must confront his demons pic.twitter.com/3pDJq7Es5F14 June 2018

Interesting casting choice that @mcgregor_ewan is playing Danny Torrance in Doctor Sleep. I know he will do a good job. #casting #DoctorSleep #theshining14 June 2018

The world could have never asked for something better! Stephen King and Ewan McGregor!!! @mcgregor_ewan is going to play Danny Torrance in Doctor Sleep, and I’m so freaking excited!!14 June 2018

Ewan McGregor as Danny Torrance is honestly a brilliant casting choice. I'm even more excited about Dr. Sleep now than I was before.14 June 2018

Even though I really wanted Charlie Hunnam for the role of Danny Torrance in #DoctorSleep, i'm completely ok with Ewan McGregor being cast.14 June 2018

ewan mcgregor playing danny torrence in doctor sleep? he's going to be amazing14 June 2018

…Even if there’s one or two naysayers out there.

I might be a terrible book, it might be a great book, but Ewan McGregor isn't Danny Torrance either way.14 June 2018

Personally, I think Ewan McGregor can pretty much pull off any role he wants so I’m happy with that. He can do crazy, conflicted, and oh-so-much more than that. In fact, he’s probably one of the most underrated actors of our time. Let’s just hope Adult Danny gets enough play to go with his work. And, for the love of god, don’t let him near typewriters, mazes, or identical twin sisters.

What does everyone else think? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

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Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
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Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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