For years, Warner Bros. has been going back and forth on the idea of making some kind of prequel to the classic Stephen King story The Shining. At first, the project was going to be a feature film that had former Walking Dead showrunner Glen Mazzara writing the script and One Hour Photo director Mark Romanek ready to take the helm. Then that fell apart over budgetary issues. So J.J. Abrams’ production company Bad Robot was tapped to develop an HBO Max prequel series simply called Overlook. Then HBO Max decided the show wasn’t for them, and Netflix didn’t pick it up, either. So we haven’t seen a prequel to The Shining play out on screen yet. But Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk has just revealed that he and several more authors are teaming up to bring multiple Overlook prequel stories to the page in the anthology novel Views from the Overlook!
Here’s the information: Screenwriter Jamie Flanagan’s Views from the Overlook, an anthology of new tales set in the infamous hotel from Stephen King’s The Shining, prior to events of the novel, featuring writers such as Michael Bailey, Chelsea Cain, Johnny Compton, Mike Flanagan, Christopher Golden, Justina Ireland, Ai Jiang, Alma Katsu, Brian Keene, Daniel Kraus, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Chuck Palahniuk, and more.
What’s really exciting about this project is the fact that it’s open to submissions! Palahniuk revealed that the first 500 stories (3000 to 5000 words) sent in between now and February 1, 2026 will be considered for inclusion in the book – although, Jamie Flanagan says that only 1 of the stories will make the cut, so those are pretty big odds to overcome. We’re looking for stories set in the Overlook Hotel, prior to events of King’s The Shining. Stories must take place between 1910 and 1949, and adhere to established lore found in the original novel, as well as King’s since published prologue, Before the Play. (We’re heavy on stories that take place between 1950 and 1970, hence the limited scope for submissions)
Does Views from the Overlook sound like a book you’d be interested in reading? Will you be sending in a story for consideration? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
