Breaking Bad. The descent of the main character, school teacher Walt, into the dark killer has some similarities to Jack's arc. Reflections are used in both to show the characters change. Better Call Saul has a "Here's Johnny" scare in a flashback. Gilligan has also likened his early writing situation, getting snowed in and not writing, to feeling like Jack while going insane. Steven Spielberg, a close friend of Kubrick, included a sequence dedicated to The Shining in the 2018 film Ready Player One when they could not get rights to use Blade Runner for a similar sequence. The Overlook Hotel is recreated, including the Grady sisters, the elevator, room 237, the lady in the bath tub, the ballroom, and the 1921 photo, in addition to using the score. Spielberg considered this inclusion a tribute to Kubrick. In his 2019 novel The Institute, Stephen King refers to the film, writing, "The little girls, Gerda and Greta, were standing and watching with wide, frightened eyes. They were holding hands and clutching dolls as identical as they were. They reminded Luke of twins in some old horror movie." In 2020, the fifth-season episode "Our Mojo" of Lucifer paid homage to Kubrick and The Shining by having a young boy riding on a tricycle down a corridor in a hotel with wallpaper similar to the carpet pattern in the film. Sequel and spin-off In 2014, Warner Bros. Pictures began developing a film adaptation of Doctor Sleep (2013), Stephen King's sequel to his book, The Shining (1977). In 2016, Akiva Goldsman announced that he would write and produce the film for Warner Bros. For several years, Warner Brothers could not secure a budget for the sequel nor for a prequel to The Shining to be called Overlook Hotel. In June 2019, writer and director Mike Flanagan confirmed Doctor Sleep would be a sequel to both the 1980 film and King's novel. It was released in several international territories on October 31, 2019, followed by the United States and Canada on November 8, 2019. In April 2020, a spin-off titled Overlook entered development for HBO Max. In August 2021, HBO Max opted not to proceed with the project. It was soon after reported Netflix was a frontline bidder on the project, though they, too, eventually passed. See also List of ghost films Room 237, a 2012 documentary about interpretations of The Shining The Shining franchise