In 2024 we’re on the cusp of James Gunn trying to bring Superman back to the big screen. And while we’ve had sequels, revamps, and other iterations in the interim, there’s still something magical about that 1978 classic. Thanks to the direction of the late, great, director Richard Donner, the music of John Williams, and the screen presence of the gone but not forgotten Christopher Reeve, we had reason to believe that a man could fly. So much of that credit has to go to Reeve, as very few people could embody what made Superman and his alter-ego, Clark Kent, charming, beguiling, and inspiring, while still being a relatable, down-to-earth kind of actor. Imagine our surprise then when we read that Reeve could’ve wound up playing Jack Torrance in “The Shining.”
Its been well publicized over the last four decades since it’s release that Stanley Kubrick’s film, “The Shining” was not well received by author Stephen King. King released the novel in 1977. It detailed the struggles of an alcoholic, former teacher named Jack Torrance, his family, and their experience residing in a hotel that Jack is caretaking for the winter season. This is fairly standard knowledge for both the book and the film. Where things differ though, and where King has his issues, is in the rewriting of Jack’s character and portrayal of Mr. Torrance by legendary actor, Jack Nicholson.
Where does Christopher Reeve fit into this? Well, let’s start off by looking at the film version of Jack. Torrance doesn’t really come across as much of a good or stable guy. He has a couple moments of levity, but he doesn’t seem like a man struggling with his demons, he’s more of a demon struggling to act like a man if he’s even bothering to try at all. You can see that all over Nicholson’s performance; Jack plays Jack as completely unhinged from the beginning to his cold, cold, end.
This is not the Jack Torrance from the novel. That Jack Torrance is trying to be a good man as much as he can but he knows he has problems. He knows he lost his teaching job because of his temper and his drinking. He knows he got so drunk one time that he broke his son Danny’s arm. He knows he is ruining his own life and the lives of those around him and he is wracked with guilt about it, with the guilt only growing worse when he wants to stop drinking but it’s so hard to stop. That’s the character that King wrote and wanted Reeve to play.
King is a big fan of the “everyman” kind of character. Especially in his short stories, King tends to take a normal person and put them into a very unusual situation. Normal people tend to be flawed, it makes them relatable. Jack Torrance’s flaws are apparent, which again, makes him normal and an “everyman.” When you think of an everyman kind of actor, Reeve was just that type of guy. If you imagine him playing the kind of Jack Torrance described in the novel, it’s easy to see him assuming that persona and chilling to picture him breaking into a violent rage.
It arguably would’ve changed Kubrick’s film if that casting had gone through. As wonderful of an actor as Reeve was, it’s hard to see him playing the consistently deranged kind of Jack that we see in the movie. He either wouldn’t have worked out at all, or Kubrick would’ve had to rewrite the screenplay around Reeve’s screen presence. But you know, given how Kubrick was willing to borderline torture his actors into giving performances he wanted, it’s pretty safe to say he wasn’t about to rewrite anything for anyone. Or maybe he could’ve broken Reeve down to a point where he was crazed from start to finish.
The big “what could’ve been” for Reeve and “The Shining” was in 1997. Stephen King wanted to remake the film and was given creative control over a resulting miniseries. Two years prior to this, Reeve had suffered his infamous horse riding injury that rendered him paraplegic for the rest of his life. One can only imagine if that hadn’t happened, how amazing he could’ve been in the role of Jack Torrance. If you watch that miniseries where Steven Weber was ultimately cast as Jack, picture Reeve in that role and you can see where it would’ve elevated it to another level. The very notion that Superman himself could be an abusive, violent alcoholic… that dissonance would’ve given the performance a completely new dynamic.
Something that people seem to forget is that it’s possible for an object, person, or piece of art to be two things at once. Kubrick’s “The Shining” can be a tremendous horror film but also a terrible adaptation of a novel. As much as we love the film, we can also understand why King has his problems with it as a take on his original story. We have to admit though, the idea of seeing Christopher Reeve as Jack Torrance would’ve been fascinating. Would it have changed the film to be more like King’s version? Could he have had the unbridled menace that Nicholson brought to the screen? It’s fascinating food for thought and evidence of how certain actors can profusely affect a project with their talent and charisma.
