Sept.

30, 2019 Contact: Hannah Uranich

For Immediate Release Phone: 815-200-0024

Email: hgurani@ilstu.edu

Stephen King to Appear at Marcus Bloomington Cinema

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – It was 95 degrees that June afternoon. The drive through Southern

Illinois was filled with green cornfields and bright blue skies. It seemed like everything was

ordinary.

It was another routine day filled with book signings at the Bloomington Public Library. A

sense of familiarity engulfed Stephen King when he took the exit off Route 55. It was a thought

he had not had for years.

King wrote his best-selling novel “The Shining” in 1977. One of King’s greatest works

of all time and a personal favorite, he wanted to write a sequel and continue the characters’

stories. But he struggled to do so. On that June afternoon King finally realized how to start the

novel’s sequel, “Doctor Sleep.”

King wrote “Doctor Sleep” three decades after “The Shining.” It reached the first position

of the New York Times 2013 Best Seller list. The novel’s critical success paved the way for it to

be made into a movie. The movie’s premier will be on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., and King will be

attending the event. Because Bloomington was where King imagined the main character of his

novel Danny Torrance living when he grew up, he wanted the movie’s premier to be at the

Marcus Bloomington Cinema.

However, it was not always evident that King would complete the sequel. After “The

Shining” was published, it became a huge success. King became known as the writer of the

century and the King of Horror. The novel’s characters took on a life of their own, and King has
even called them an extension of his own family. But the pressure to create a sequel got to him.

King wrote countless drafts, but hated all of them. He was plagued with writer’s block.

King said, “I was never sure where to start the story. These characters had been through

so much, and they deserved to have their endings be just as well told as their beginnings. But I

just could not pull through. I was frustrated for a long time.”

But there was a point King questioned if he even wanted to write a sequel. Although it

was one of his favorite works, he was angry because people would only ask him about his old

works, especially “The Shining.” King had been writing since the 70s; three decades and over 30

books. Despite all his groundbreaking writing, King felt like he was only known for this one

novel.

Throughout the years Danny Torrance, his mother and the supernatural gift of the shining

never left King’s mind. In 2012 once King became inspired to write the sequel and knew what he

wanted to do with it, he immediately brought the idea to his publisher. His publisher told him he

wanted something completely new, no sequel of any kind.

King would not take no for an answer. He marched into the publisher’s office with

posters of the setting and characters and quotes to pitch the story. He explained to him how when

he went to Bloomington for the book signing, he could not get the idea out of his mind. King was

so passionate about this story and could think of nothing else. He was yelling and shouting so

much that security guards came into the office. They were about to throw him out before they

realized it was just the writer himself.

King’s pitch took four hours. After countless debates, emails and phone calls, the

publisher eventually gave in. And he did not end up regretting it.
 “Fast forward 35 years and I finally accomplished one of my dreams,” said King. “The

town of Bloomington was the exact place I imagined Danny living in when he grew up. It

inspired me to write ‘Doctor Sleep.’ That is why I wanted the premier to be in Bloomington. I

especially wanted to attend because no one understands how much this whole process has meant

to me.”

Five years later the novel is now being adapted into a movie. It stars Ewan McGregor,

Kyliegh Curran and Rebecca Ferguson.

Like the novel, the movie picks up 30 years later with Danny Torrance who is now in his

40s and suffers from alcoholism and depression. He works at a hospice using his psychic gift, the

shining, to help dying elders pass over to the other side. Abra, another character with even more

powerful gifts, calls upon Danny to help defeat a cult who tries to eradicate all people with the

shining.

King will be at Marcus Bloomington Cinema for the first showing of the movie at 7 p.m.,

and fans will be able to take pictures and get books signed in the lobby starting at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets will be $15. A special deal for $10 tickets is available for fans who bring a copy of the

novel. Tickets will also be available to buy online at Marcus Bloomington Cinema’s website, but

the deal will not apply. The theater is located at 1111 Wylie Dr.

For more information contact Marcus Bloomington Cinema at 555-555-5555 or visit the

website marcustheatres.com.