Third 'The Shining' movie in development

A third movie set in the world of The Shining and Doctor Sleep is reportedly in development at Warner Bros.

With a working title of Hallorann, the third film is said to centre on the character of Dick Hallorann who appears in both films, and was to be written by Doctor Sleep director Mike Flanagan.

“[Warner Bros. exec] Toby Emmerich had already struck a deal with director Mike Flanagan and his Intrepid Pictures to script a sequel whose working title is Hallorann, drawn from the character who appears in both The Shining and Doctor Sleep,” explains The Hollywood Reporter.

The snippet of information was found in an analysis of the box office disappointment of the Stephen King sequel, which opened to $14.1 million on its North American debut, way below the forecast of $25 million to $30 million.

Read more: Why Stephen King disliked Kubrick’s film

The report indicates that the box office results for the film makes a third film in the series unlikely, as the Ewan McGregor film looks set to cost the studio over $30 million (£21 million) in lost revenue.

Following the events of Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film and Stephen King’s source novel, Doctor Sleep picked up the story of Danny Torrance decades after he escaped from the Overlook Hotel.

The analysis suggests the film’s 152 minute runtime may have scared away casual punters, with one analyst saying the original wasn’t well-known by millennials.

“The Shining, despite being a cult classic, just doesn’t have traction with younger audiences. Thirty-nine years was just too long between sequels,” Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations told THR.

Carl Lumbly portrayed Dick Hallorann, the former cook of the Overlook Hotel who has gift of "the shining" in the sequel, while Scatman Crothers played him in The Shining.

Read more: Mixed reviews for Doctor Sleep

Rebecca Ferguson, who plays the evil Rose The Hat in Doctor Sleep, told Yahoo she wouldn’t be surprised if there was a sequel on the cards.

“It would never shock me,” Ferguson said to Yahoo Movies UK when asked about another sequel.

She added: “Stephen King is such an incredible inventor of stories and characters. I wouldn't see reason as to why it wouldn't work.

“But then the question is that sometimes things need to end, you know?”

Doctor Sleep is in cinemas now.