The Doctor Sleep cast is led by prominent actors Ewan McGregor and Rebecca Ferguson, but they aren’t the only people in the film. Arriving on November 8, 2019, Doctor Sleep is an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. Director Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) confirmed Doctor Sleep is a sequel to The Shining novel as well as the 1980 movie adaptation directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Jack Nicholson.

Last Updated: November 12, 2019

Doctor Sleep movie picks up decades after The Shining. Danny Torrance, who was just a little boy during the events of The Shining, is now an adult who’s haunted by his supernatural ability. He works at a nursing home and drinks heavily in an attempt to suppress the gift he has come to call “the shining”. One day, Danny meets with a teenage girl, Abra Stone, who possesses the same ability he does. He believes Abra is being hunted by a cult known as The True Knot and wants to protect her. This group of seemingly immortal beings searches for gifted children like Danny and Abra, feeding off of them in order to maintain their long life. Danny and Abra soon find themselves fighting The True Knot in order to put an end to their destructive ways.

The Doctor Sleep cast has a diverse group of both seasoned actors and relative newcomers. Unlike Jacob Tremblay (Room, Good Boys), who was cast in a still-unknown role, we know which actors are playing the intriguing array of Doctor Sleep characters. Here’s a complete breakdown of the main Doctor Sleep cast.

Ewan McGregor As Danny Torrance

Ewan McGregor plays Dan Torrance in Doctor Sleep. Dan is one of three major Shining characters to be featured in the sequel. He’s a heavy drinker in his early adult years, using alcohol to suppress the psychic ability he calls “the shining”. Dan is plagued by memories of the Overlook Hotel and is still haunted by its ghosts. He eventually settles in New Hampshire and gets a job at a hospice facility, where he uses “the shining” to soothe the residents and provide comfort to dying patients. Doctor Sleep includes flashbacks to young Danny’s (played by Roger Dale Floyd) time at the Overlook.

McGregor has been acting since the early 1990s, coming into his own with roles in hit films like Trainspotting, Moulin Rouge!, and the Star Wars prequel trilogy. More recently, McGregor has popped up on FX’s Fargo and in two Disney live-action remakes: Beauty and the Beast and Christopher Robin. After Doctor Sleep, he’ll be seen next in Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).

Rebecca Ferguson As Rose The Hat

Rebecca Ferguson plays Rose the Hat in Doctor Sleep. Rose is the leader of a cult known as The True Knot. The True Knot members feed off the “steam” of children who have “the shining”, allowing them to live longer than is naturally possible. Rose becomes aware of Abra’s existence and realizes she has an incredible amount of power. This drives Rose to focus all of her time and energy on locating Abra so she can be used as a limitless source of “steam” for The True Knot.

Ferguson’s star has been on the rise since 2013’s limited TV series The White Queen. Following that breakout performance, she has secured roles in tons of big studio films, including two Mission Impossible films, The Girl on the Train, and The Greatest Showman. Ferguson was most recently seen in Men in Black: International, opposite Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson.

Kyliegh Curran As Abra Stone

Kyliegh Curran plays Abra Stone in Doctor Sleep. Abra has “the shining”, just like Dan. She is more powerful than Dan ever was, though, which makes her an especially attractive target to Rose and The True Knot. Abra begins psychically communicating with Dan from the moment she is born, but the two don’t physically meet until she’s a teenager. In the book, Abra is revealed to be Danny’s long-lost niece, but this blood tie isn’t part of the film.

Curran has been acting since she was 7 years old but has only recently begun appearing onscreen. Doctor Sleep is her second onscreen credit in that regard. She first starred in the indie film I Can I Will I Did.

Carl Lumbly As Dick Hallorann

Carl Lumbly plays Dick Hallorann in Doctor Sleep. Dick is another character originally introduced in The Shining. He used to work as a cook at the Overlook Hotel. Dick has “the shining”, just like his grandmother. In the aftermath of the events of The Shining novel, Wendy asks Dick to help Danny process what happened, especially since the young boy still sees spirits attached to the hotel. Dick teaches Danny how to control his ability, giving him the tools necessary to lead a normal life. Since Dick was killed off in The Shining movie, he instead helps Dan in Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep by serving as a sort of spirit advisor.

Lumbly is a veteran actor, beginning his robust onscreen career in the late 1970s with a role in Escape From Alcatraz, which starred Clint Eastwood. Among Lumbly’s more notable and recent credits include roles in the J.J. Abrams series Alias, NCIS: Los Angeles, and the CW hit Supergirl.

Zahn McClarnon As Crow Daddy

Zahn McClarnon plays Crow Daddy in Doctor Sleep. A member of The True Knot, he is Rose’s right-hand man and lover. He is responsible for tracking Abra down and bringing her back to the True Knot members so they can all consume her essence.

McClarnon spent the early years of his acting career taking bit parts in popular ’90s TV shows, like Baywatch, before securing a recurring role on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. McClarnon has nabbed parts on both film and TV over the years, appearing in projects such as Ringer, Fargo, Longmire, Westworld, and Queen of the South.

Emily Alyn Lind As Snakebite Andi

Emily Alyn Lind plays Snakebite Andi in Doctor Sleep. Andi is a member of The True Knot. She had a traumatic childhood as she was abused by her father. Andi also has the ability to make others fall asleep through the power of suggestion.

Lind began her career in daytime soap operas, including a notable run on All My Children. In addition to frequent appearances in made-for-TV movies, Lind has popped up on the ABC drama Revenge, the Netflix original horror movie The Babysitter, and the Keanu Reeves-led sci-fi thriller Replicas.

Bruce Greenwood As Dr. John Dalton

Bruce Greenwood plays Dr. John Dalton in Doctor Sleep. In the book, he’s the Stone’s family doctor and has looked after Abra’s health throughout her life. John is also a friend of Dan’s. He knows about “the shining” and accepts its existence, ostensibly having seen the ability used by Abra while treating her. In the film, however, Dalton instead helps Danny get his job at the hospice facility early on, and believes in Danny’s powers because he sees them in action. Dalton has no apparent connection to Abra in the Doctor Sleep movie.

Greenwood has built an impressive acting resume over the years. Recurring on popular TV shows like St. Elsewhere and Knots Landing helped put Greenwood on the map. His career rose even more with roles in popular movies like Double Jeopardy, co-starring Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones, The Rules of Engagement, I, Robot, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and the first two installments of the recent Star Trek reboot trilogy. Doctor Sleep marks the second time Greenwood has worked with Flanagan following their collaboration on the Netflix original Gerald’s Game.

Alex Essoe As Wendy Torrance

Alex Essoe plays Wendy Torrance in Doctor Sleep. Wendy is one of three characters still alive after the events of The Shining book. Like Dan, she is still traumatized after what happened at the Overlook. She appears in the opening scenes of the Doctor Sleep movie, alongside young Danny. It’s later revealed that Wendy died before the events of the film proper, and Danny’s “shine” burdened him with the advance knowledge that her death was imminent, leading him to suppress his abilities.

Essoe has been acting in movies and TV since 2008. She’s appeared in a variety of indie movies, including the horror movie Starry Eyes, and the Showtime series House of Lies, which starred Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell.

Cliff Curtis As Billy Freeman

Cliff Curtis plays Billy Freeman in Doctor Sleep. He is a close friend of Dan’s and lives in the same New Hampshire town. Billy becomes a pivotal ally of Dan’s as Doctor Sleep progresses, helping him take on The True Knot in order to save Abra.

Curtis has been acting since the early ’90s but really broke out with his performance in Three Kings, starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube. Since then, Curtis has appeared in several movies and TV shows, including Training Day, Collateral Damage, Live Free or Die Hard, and Fear the Walking Dead. His most recent appearances are supporting roles in The Meg and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. After Doctor Sleep, Curtis will be seen in Avatar 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Next: Doctor Sleep: Everything You Need To Know About The Shining Sequel

  • Doctor Sleep Release Date: 2019-11-08