Stephen King's 'The Stand' to be made into 4 movies by Warner Brothers

It's already been done!

It'll never work.

OP, thanks for the heads up. The Stand is my fav end of the world book and miniseries. Can't wait to see what WB comes up with.

Will they show Harold masturbating bitterly?

I want to hear "Baby Can You Dig Your Man?"

Norman Reedus would be a good Larry.

M-O-O-N, that spells "Wasn't this originally announced as a trilogy by a different studio?"

I tried rereading it once I had grown up. The writing is AWFUL!

There are certain elements of the story that are very dated that need to be changed (like the "dig your man" thing), but given people's fear of ebola and other pandemics and the current zombie/post-apocalypse stuff like " Walking Dead", I think it could be really good in the right hands.

WHere do you think it will be cut to make four films? I wouldn't have thought it could be more than three: the characters' pre-plague backstories and the plague up to the pilgrimages to Mother Abigail; the Denver vs. Vegas crowds up to the spies leaving for Vegas; the events with Trashcan Man in Vegas and the return to Denver.

Part 1: The plague itself.

Part 2: The journey to Mother Abigail's and Flagg's gathering his forces

Part 3: Societies established in Denver and Vegas, climax with Nadine and Harold setting off the bomb

Part 4: The trek to Vegas

I think that's roughly where they put the cuts in the miniseries.

I think it's a great idea.

Loved the book and the mini series back in the day - the timing is perfect for a remake and I hope they don't let Mr. King get involved as he is the one who fucks up the movies made from his books.

[quote]I hope they don't let Mr. King get involved as he is the one who fucks up the movies made from his books.

I tried to tell y'all that, but y'all wouldn't listen.

r8, I haven't read it since I was 18. Maybe it would not be as good as I remember. I also used to read Jackie Collins back then, I picked up a copy of one of her books recently and found her writing to be bad and the plot easy to predict.

1970s literature at its best!

[quote][R8], I haven't read it since I was 18. Maybe it would not be as good as I remember.

Everyone knows I have bad taste, but I will say the scenes as the plague spirals out of control are legitimately terrifying. And as one of King's thousand-page tomes, I think it holds together better than a lot of them.

that clownwas super duper scary. i think theyshould get the clown fromsupernatural to be on it. remember sam had anaversion to clowns but it was never explained how it developed. he got dean a slinky at teend and dean got him a clown which winked.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I hope the WB does it justice. r6 Norman Reedus would make a good Larry.

Norman Reedus would be a better Stu.

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oh r22, that would be awful.

I pictured Ruby Dee, but I think she recently died. Alfre Woodard would be great too in makeup that ages her.

It's the Trekkie in me, but I'd sell Nichelle Nichols. Not that Woodard isn't wonderful, it's just that she's 62 and Nichols is 81.

Didn't even think of her, that's an interesting choice.

Loved the book, enjoyed the miniseries ...four MOVIES ?? That's awesome. Damn speedreading, earlier today I'd read something about it and misread it as being 5 HOURS .......duh.

I was sad when deaf guy (Nick ?) died. One of my favorite characters in the book. And pairing him up with Tom Cullen was great.

It has been 20 years since I read it, but I remember thinking the beginning was good. I thought it was interesting how he dealt with some of the problems that would occur when you have to maneuver through all of the dead bodies etc. There were also some interesting characters. After that it seemed to drift into some old end of the world clichés and also needed some tightening and editing. If I remember it improved again at the end, and I ended up thinking it was a decent book but not great.

I hope they have a smart cast, not some botoxed, fake boobed bimbos. Though if I remember correctly there are more men than women in it. I don't care that much about the Hunger Games but they were smart to cast Jennifer Lawrence.

AnnE as Nadine.

It's actually a pretty great book... until the end. Like most of King's work, the ending was a let-down. Lame. Bleh.

*shudder* r29, I assume that is sarcasm, at least I hope.

I don't even like her but Angelina Jolie would be a pretty good Nadine if they could rail her in.

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Who should play Randall Flagg, the devil in blue jeans?

R34 - Jon Hamm

I LOVE the idea of Nichelle Nichols! Jon Hamm, I could totally see, too. Good ideas. Who would play Trashcan Man?

Trashcan man = Michael Weston

Is there a part for me? I could play Frannie...

I'm just going to assume that they're pursuing McBoingo for Flagg.

It's interesting to hear what people remember from when we read it years ago.

One strong memory is the high-strung addicted woman in NYC. King made her a vivid character for me. I remember thinking it was such a bizarre concept that,after finding you were one of the very few people left on earth you could commit suicide.

The meal Mother Abigail makes for them when they first arrive. I imagined she was Cicely Tyson.

Lastly, the dark sweet-treat in the Holland Tunnel tollbooth. Shiver!

God, no, not McBongo!

I don't want to see Bradley Cooper in it either.

[quote]After that it seemed to drift into some old end of the world clichés and also needed some tightening and editing. If I remember it improved again at the end, and I ended up thinking it was a decent book but not great.

That's true of many of King's books, R27. I've always figured he has too much power with his publishers and refuses to be edited. He seems to be in love with his own writing, even though far better writers than he were improved by judicious editing. His gift is coming up with interesting plots, not character development or dialogue.

I think The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile were done well. Also I know The Shining is well liked. Hopefully this will be that same quality.

He loathed The Shining, R44. After The Shining, he took control of the movies and TV shows made from his books. That's why they've never been as good.

There's something Stephen King won't say about Stanley Kubrick's film. I've heard & read King talk about his hatred of it.

The issues he says he has, don't seem like what he really feels.

I've heard King doesn't like that Kubrick felt the book was about pedophilia. As if Kubrick saw something at a glance that had never occurred to King?

It's almost universally considered a great film. And certainly the best adaptation of his books. So I don't get it.

Any thoughts?

I've never heard that Kubrick thought the book was about pedophilia (aside from the idiotic conspiracy theories in Room 234).

Stephen King has always said the issue that he had was that Jack was supposed to be a good man turned evil by the hotel. The reason why he took it so seriously was because Jack was apparently heavily based on himself, and that's why he felt so offended when they cast Jack Nicholson who telegraphed crazy from the first reel.

But the fact that Stephen King chose to write Jack as a recovering alcoholic speaks to an instability in the character that contradicts this idea of a good-man-gone-wrong. Not to say that people who struggle with substance abuse are bad, just that there's roots to someone unsettled who goes someplace that could unleash their darker side.

I think King was insecure about himself and his substance abuse, and that's why he was always so angry about that film. There have been far worse adaptations of his work that took greater liberties with story and character than The Shining.

A lot of King's stories feature pedophilia. It,The Talisman,The Library Policeman,Dr. Sleep and Gerald's Game all have scenes where kids are being sexually abused or threatened. I'm not saying King is a pedophile but I wonder if he was a victim of abuse.

I could see it, R48. Not too surprising if true.

There's no question in my mind that Kubrick's The Shining is about Jack's abuse of Danny.

Voice of the Night, Reedus as Stu is inspired casting, It would be nice to see that happen over the usual people who will probably be considered for the role ( Cooper, Gyllenhaal, Gosling, Fassbender, Tatum...please no to any of them) I thought I did read that McConaughey was on their wishlist for Flagg. If so, I would not have a problem with that, as long as he was not too hammy. Another decent choice for Stu, Mark Ruffalo.

Angelina Jolie is too ... much for Nadine. Plus this has to be a strong ensemble cast, and she commands too much on-screen attention. I can't stand Anne Hathaway but think she has the right look for Nadine.

I keep picturing the kid who plays Joffrey Baratheon as Harold. He could easily be made fat and pimply.

McBoingo would overact Flagg.

Who to cast as Frannie? Both she and Harold have to be younger - in the book Harold is about 18 and Frannie is 20 or 21, right?

Mark Ruffalo would be fantastic as Stu, R51. I'm not a McBongo fan, but I think he would make a good Flagg. I agree with everyone that Nichelle Nichols would be an inspired choice for Mother Abigail.

I think this could be a really interesting film series (and the heir apparent to The Lord of the Rings), but seeing as the director of The Fault In Our Stars is now attached to it, I'm not holding out hope that it'll be any good.

[quote]Cooper, Gyllenhaal, Gosling, Fassbender, Tatum...please no to any of them

Gosling and Fassbender don't bug me, but the rest I don't want. Although Tatum could easily play the simple minded guy since he doesn't seem like the brightest bulb.

r54...yes, I am having nightmares of Shailene Woodley as Frannie. Another rumor is Nat Wolff ( the eventually blind best friend in A Fault in Our Stars) is supposed to have a role in it, probably either as Harold or Nick Andros. Harold is supposed to be a teen and Frannie is around 20-21. The important thing for Flagg is to have someone who is charismatic but can be creepy without overacting the role. Another good chioce for Flagg would be Viggo Mortensen. I kind of like Elizabeth Olsen for Frannie. You need someone youthful but can project maturity beyond her years. And she would't be too much of an age mismatch with whoever plays Stu, who is supposed to be 10 years older in the story. And I do like the idea of Nichelle Nicholas as Mother Abigail.

I'd like to see some colorblind casting and have someone like Anthony Mackie or Michael B Jordan as Larry.

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Ugh, you're right, R56. It'll probably be Shalene Woodley. For a homely girl with little charisma, she sure is taking Hollywood by storm.

They really should have a deaf actor play Nick.

Better for them to cast relative unknowns in something like this.

I thought Affleck was attached to direct? I could see him as Stu. Maybe. Not thrilled with the Fault in Our Eyes director, but if he keeps Woodley away, I could be interested in it.

[quote]Ugh, you're right, [R56]. It'll probably be Shalene Woodley. For a homely girl with little charisma, she sure is taking Hollywood by storm.

I thought of her too right away when I saw who was involved with it, I really hope not though.

I agree, R60, but the impression I got from the Deadline article was that they're looking to make this a star-studded affair.

Funny I can see both Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus cast in this.

I could see Andrew Lincoln as Randall Flagg. Stu would be too close to the character of Rick Grimes.

yes to Andrew Lincoln in this

I could see Sawyer from Lost being Randall Flagg. Josh Holloway would have to keep the Sawyer look, I don't find him hot when he's cleaned up.

God, can some people here use some imagination? Listing that two actors who are currently on a post-epidemic television show should also do the same/similar thing in a movie franchise. Maybe Tom Cruise should play some secret agent spy in his next movie because he has not really done too much of that in his previous roles. What do you think?

I like Andrew Lincoln because he's a good actor who doesn't do a lot of publicity so I am not tired of him like others. I am not that big on Norman Reedus, I don't think he's that good of an actor but I know he has a lot of fans because they think he is attractive.

By the time this stinkfest comes out, Ebola will be old news!

[quote]By the time this stinkfest comes out, Ebola will be old news!

By the time you read this post, we'll all be dead!!!!!!!!!

I think Sam Witwer is handsome/creepy looking and he'd be a great Randall Flagg.

Jensen Ackles as Stu

Ezra Miller as Harold

Chloe Moretz as Nadine

Sasha Baron Cohen as Trashcan Man

Lupita N'yongo as Frannie

Sam Rockwell as Tom Cullen

Logan Lerman as Nick Andros

r72, I guess you don't want anyone to see this. And why do people keep trying to put Ackles in movies? He has been on the CW too long to spring board into movies. Not gonna happen. But he should be set for life unless he is a spendthrift.

They had a Comic Com here this weekend and Nichelle Nichols was there and from what I hear very cool to fans. So good choice for Mother Abigail TVOTN.

Wonder if she can still do her fan dance.

Ezra Miller is a good choice for Harold, he can play very unlikeable characters. He will need to be padded to play fat Harold.

I just hope we get the over acting like the TV movies.

R72 - Chloe Moretz as Nadine

Chloe is not even 20. Nadine is a grown up mature woman.

This is very exciting. The Stand is my favorite book. Who would play my favorite post-apocalyptic, Upper East Side WASP, aka Rita Blakemore? I would love to say Jessica Lange, but I know you DLers could think of some great character actresses for this smaller role.

I vote for Ian Ziering to play the teen stud

[quote]He will need to be padded to play fat Harold.

Please, no. Find an actor willing to put on the pounds to play fat Harold and have him actually lose weight as they film.

Ezra Miller would be an interesting choice for Nick Andros though.

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I always pictured Rita Blakemore as Dean Wormer's wife from "Animal House." I must have read it around the same time I saw that movie.

Frances Conroy as Rita Blakemore.

How about Tina Turner as Mother Abigail? She's acted before and was pretty good at it.

I don't know, I guess I'm just coming up with off-the-wall ideas.

Boone's hopes to turn this into four movies have been dashed years ago. This will now be a 9-episode limited series on CBS All Access. Boone is directing the episodes, which he has scripted with Ben Cavell. Marsden in talks for the lead role.

(How crazy is it to stumble on a thread where VOTN's posts were still signed regularly?)

Blast from the past!

[quote]This will now be a 9-episode limited series on CBS All Access.

Except it will be popular and then they'll force the filmmakers to continue the series well past its end time - like what happened with Under the Dome.

r80 Exotic choice but he's actually in the (now canceled) Swamp Thing and he looks so good for his age you have to see it to believe it. Decent actor as well.

Most of the people you guys bring up are terrible choices.

r90 It's the innocence from the pre-Trumpian age. It's hard to understand today.

If you're going to read it again nake sure to get the unabridged version. It's got the gsy stuff in it.

I cast myself, again. I still look young enough to play the role!

It freaks me out that r11 was authenticated back then and still is.

James Marsden is a terrible choice for Stu.

Don't....

I just finished watching "11-22-63" and it was a crap fest so I vote for James Franco NOT being in this one.

You can watch the mini-series here. And it was 4 parts.

Yeah, I tried 11-22-63. Chris Cooper and Nick Searcy were their usual professional selves. James Franco made it all too tedious.

I assumed Mardsen was being considered for Flagg when I saw the headline.

super interesting someone way back in the beginning of the thread called the Matthew Mcconaughey casting as Flagg. wrong movie but still.

[bold]‘The Stand’: James Marsden, Amber Heard, Odessa Young & Henry Zaga Set For Stephen King’s CBS All Access Series[/bold]

[quote]James Marsden (Westworld), as we previously reported was in talks, has closed his deal for a lead role in The Stand, an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel at CBS All Access. Also starring with him are Amber Heard (Aquaman), Odessa Young (Assassination Nation) and Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why) in the limited event series from CBS Television Studios.

[quote]The streaming service also announced that King will write the last chapter of the series, providing a new coda that won’t be found in the book.

I wonder if they'll include Trashcan Man's encounter with The Kid. That'd be some quality material right there.

Amber Heard blechhh. Gotta be Nadine, right? James Marsden is too old for Stu but I ain't complaining.

r103 Yes, these are the character descriptions from the same article:

[quote]Marsden will portray Stu Redman, an ordinary working-class factory man in an extraordinary situation with a damaged quality to him that belies his exterior.

[quote]Heard will play Nadine Cross, a deeply conflicted woman who feels the consequences of her actions, but is still compelled by her allegiance to Randall Flagg, the Dark Man.

[quote]Young is Frannie Goldsmith, a pregnant young woman navigating a strange new world, who also has the foresight to recognize that there is evil lurking beyond the Dark Man.

[quote]Zaga will portray Nick Andros, a young deaf and mute man who finds himself in a position of authority when the unthinkable happens. He has a habit of risking his own well-being for the safety of others.

It's five years later. Did they do it?

r105 No, it's been retooled into a limited series, as per r86.

R46: Kubrick's film just doesn't make any sense. It's like the japanese horror, it's visually interesting and some parts give chills but the story is not there. King has a lot of reasons for not liking the film.

I read The Stand just last week. I liked it (even i prefer It) and it could be a great show if they do it right. Of course the show needs to adapt some thing, the novel is set at the beginning of the 90's and that just won't work now

DL fave joins the cast.

[quote]Collider has exclusively learned that, on the heels of winning an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for his menacing turn on HBO’s Big Little Lies, Alexander Skarsgård is preparing to play the personification of evil, The Man in Black himself… Mr. Randall Flagg.

And Whoopi as Mother Abagail, a prophet who receives visions from God and guides survivors of the superflu.

Stephen King has written so many books. Why can't they do some of them that have not been made? I don't understand. I would love if they would do The Long Walk. The new Pet Sematary was horrible. I will never understand Hollywood.

Why are they doing this on CBS All Access? Why not do it on Netflix where so many more people will be able to see it?

r111 Because Netflix either didn't want it and/or CBS won the bid.

R112 This reminds me of Amazon whose streaming service is going to be destroyed by their upcoming Lord of the Rings series. The budget for that is insane.

CBS All Access simply doesn't have the money to invest in something like The Stand. At least not to the level it deserves. I expect it'll look cheap like everyone else they do. So why bother making it if it'll look no better than a 30 year old network mini-series?

I was wondering what seemed to happen to the 4 movies.

Another fucking miniseries of The Stand.

Unbelievable!

Owen Teague could be interesting. I've liked him in things I've seen him in.

And of course, Daniel Sunjata's Big Dick energy is always more than welcome. 🤤

R110 I'd love to see a movie of The Talisman.

[quote]And Whoopi as Mother Abagail

"It wasn’t a plague plague."

Harold is supposed to be FAT FAT FAT. Cast someone from the DL! That's probably the casting I like the least. Tho I also think Marsden is going to pull me out of the Stu fantasy. He's too "known."

Of course, I welcome any cast without Molly-fucking-Ringwald, aka the weakest link in the original. Alex is great as Flagg, I'm fine with the race-recast of Larry, and the new Nick is hawt. This cast is too pretty; and they need some fuggos besides Tom Cullen.

I also hope they re-purpose the score from the original mini-series because that is one of the best and most underrated scores out there. This track in particular still sticks with me!