The Stand (2020)

Can’t wait to see this. Wasn’t there a TV movie a long time ago?

R1 why are you asking like you don’t know about the mini-series? 🙄🙄🙄

They only started filming a few months ago, we won’t see it until near the end of 2020.

If we’re all still alive.

It's going to be on the schmancy CBS channel. I'll subscribe for this. I always enjoy this story, and always forget it.

I hate that they seem to have gone for movie star looks rather than trying to fit the characters. James better act his ass off because it all falls apart if that pretty boy can't do the 'still waters run deep, strong silent type'.

at least there's no Molly Ringwald tho.

Wasn't Stu Redman a kind of laconic, rugged Texan type, if I recall the book correctly? King never really got too much into physical descriptions and I quite got a feel for how old the Stu character was. Mid-30's to mid-40's was my guess.

Anyone recall anything better?

He worked at a calculator factory after dropping out of college on a football scholarship when his mother got sick. definitely good looking, ~35 ish yo, brunette (based off memory). but he really has a deep character (at least in my head). natural leader without actually saying much of anything because people instinctively trust him.

when I first read the book and pictured an actor I pictured a guy from a soap opera (listen i was a young teen) Drake Hogestyn who played Jack Black.

You ain't seen nothing yet, bitches!

Relevant!

[quote] Marilyn Manson as Trashcan Man

BRILLIANT casting.

Owen Teague always plays a loser.

Why do they keep trying to make this fiction phone book happen onscreen?

When? When is this coming out? I want to see it now!

I loved the book, however, this story is one that plays better in my head than on the screen. I shan't be watching.

Marsden and skaarsgard? Mmmmmmm

Well I'm encouraged that Alexander Skarsgård is in the cast, but anything that includes Heather Graham.....

It's funny - I was just thinking about this story this morning when I was reading about the flu outbreak in China

"Alexander Skarsgård as Randall Flagg"

Hmmm...I feel my hand drifting towards my tingly bits.

[quote]Alexander Skarsgård as Randall Flagg

nice

Can they make it into a musical?

Whoopie Goldberg as Mother Abigail? A travesty.

Read this many years ago as a teen, the one line that I remember is "Harold masturbated bitterly".

I don't care for Amber Heard so actually that is good casting for Nadine.

A black guy for Larry Underwood? I see they tried to go PC

Henry Zaga is gorgeous!

Aside from the Oscar-winning Whoopi, what's up with the c list Oregon basement cast?

Even for TV movies this is pretty bad.

[quote] Hmmm...I feel my hand drifting towards my tingly bits.

Stop touching your anus, dear.

R25 *should read "C-List bargain basement"

R27 I kind of liked Oregon basement, but I admit I was a bit confused there. Don’t you love that helpful autocorrect?

Why can James Marsden just go full frontal? 😊

I hope r29 meant "Why [bold]can't[/bold] James Marsden just go full frontal?"

R30 I certainly do! He's beautiful!

I agree the casting is pretty pathetic.

I like Owen Teague a lot, but i thought Harold was supposed to be fat and ugly.

Should I read it first?

Are they going to be brave and include all the magical stuff or will this be A Walking Dead clone?

With the way things are going, this might prove to be a bad investment.

R36

What do you mean?

[quote]this story is one that plays better in my head than on the screen. I shan't be watching.

Oh, shan't you?

The original was so bad and cheesy. M-O-O-N

R37 lives under a rock.

Remake [italic]Cujo[/italic] if you want a Stephen King book in need of a good film version.

[quote]James Marsden as Stu Redman

[quote]Eion Bailey as Teddy Weizak

[quote]Hamish Linklater as Dr. Ellis

Three of my favorite fantasy sperm depositors. I've wanted each of them, Eion Bailey and his spermsicle in particular, since the first time I saw him. Any chance they're in scenes together? I so don't remember this book.

Oh, and for whoever doesn't think Jimmy Marsden could carry it, I have two words: Rob Blow.

[quote]Owen Teague as Harold Lauder

I don't know huh, but looking at pictures, he's adorkable, not the fat, ugly loser Harold is supposed to be.

[quote]Wasn't Stu Redman a kind of laconic, rugged Texan type, if I recall the book correctly? King never really got too much into physical descriptions and I quite got a feel for how old the Stu character was. Mid-30's to mid-40's was my guess.

In the original version, he was a Vietnam vet, so more likely late-20s/early-30s.

Um, didn't they already make it as a movie? I saw it, also read the book. It's like Hollywood and the production of TV has run out of original ideas.

[quote]Um, didn't they already make it as a movie?

They made it as a mediocre miniseries.

They also made It as a miniseries and did a remake and that turned out pretty well.

What's with all of the Skaarsgard's doing Stephen King properties? Is he a family friend or something?

[quote]Owen Teague as Harold Lauder

He was also in "It" and "It Chapter Two."

R48 Yes! He was Patrick Hockstetter, which makes sense considering how naturally creepy he looks.

On a related note, I read that someone is working on a script for a remake of Salem's Lot - in the right hands, that has the potential to be good!

The Stand is certainly very timely, but the final third of the book went off the rails with the deaf/mute guy as some kind of christ-like prophet. As far as what caused the plague - an AIDS-like virus - it's probably more of a realistic depiction of a killer virus than all the zombie shit on Walking Dead or other similar type shows

[quote]The Stand is certainly very timely, but the final third of the book went off the rails with the deaf/mute guy as some kind of christ-like prophet

M-O-O-N, that spells "Your memory isn't as good as you think it is."

I'm just here for Marilyn Manson as Trashcan Man.

I am sitting with you r52

Harold started off fat but lost the weight as the book went on. I love that they cast Owen Teague.

Not crazy about the age discrepancy between Stu and Frannie but I like Marsden so I'll live with it.

I hope the spend a good amount of time on the outbreak and societal breakdown.

Age differences go out the window during an apocalypse.

I hope they add in the parts from the unabridged version that are basically 'and nothing of value was lost', basically the ones who died but not from the flu. (which of course falls into r55 but is a distinct subcategory)

R54

Age difference is from the book.

There's also an age difference between Nadine and Harold. In the book Nadine is saving herself for Randall Flagg so she and Harold do everything except vaginal intercourse.

Stu was not more than twice Frannie's age in the book. Marsden is 46 and Odessa is 22.

[quote]Eion Bailey as Teddy Weizak

From head-to-toe, he will forever be my ultimate type. As if the face couldn't be more perfect, he has a really hairy body which is perfection.

S-W-O-O-N

That spells EIon Bailey

Eion*

Baby, Can You Dig Your Man

I just started watching the old miniseries after reading this thread.

R65, 90s shit, ain't it?

r66 I literally just started the first episode. The only thing that struck me was Gary Sinise is a lot beefier here than I know him as Lieutenant Dan which must have been filmed around the same time. So far I have recognized a few character actors and Ed Harris.

Oh and Joe Bob Briggs that used to have that late night show that I used to watch like Rhonda Shears "UP all night"

How did Bronson Pinchot not get a role in the original?

Molly Ringwald (Frannie) looks better with dark hair and Corin Nemec as Harold in the miniseries is thin too as opposed to the book.

Rob Lowe was so pretty

[quote]Amber Heard as Nadine Cross

So does she beat the shit out of Flagg? Because no one's buying her being a victim.

Still watching the first episode and Kathy Bates is in it, that is the thinnest I have ever seen her.

"The dark man is coming!"

That was one hell of a mullet on Randall Flagg

LMAO at Trash Can Man "my life for you". Marilyn Manson should be really interesting.

Instead of being angry and fat, they'll updated the Harold Lauder character for the 21st century and make him an Incel.

Actually, that's a pretty good idea.

Will they include the scene where The Kid rapes Trashcan Man with a gun?

Harold was an Incel. These guys have always been around they just didn't have a name.

R79 was that in the book? I read the book 30 years ago so it's been awhile.

yes r81 but in the unabridged version. perhaps you read the original

King said he regretted that The Kid was cut from the original version.

Many of King's books include scenes of males being sodomized.

Thanks r81, I read my brother's book which he got in the early 80's so must have been an original so that must be why I didn't know about that. My brother is 7 years older than me and when he went to college I got a lot of his old books and that was the first Stephen King book I ever read.

I don't remember who the hell Teddy Weizak is and I just reread the book a few months ago

King played Teddy (badly) in the miniseries

The Stand and Night Shift are my favorite King books

I think Teddy was the one who came up with Harold Lauders nickname when they were cleaning up dead bodies. Ace?

I also loved the story Apt Pupil and felt the movie didn't do it justice as is the case for most of his books except for The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption

r88 again, I didn't mean Night Shift, I meant Different Seasons. Get those books mixed up since they both have short stories. Different Seasons had Shawshank and Apt Pupil.

I love so many but I think my favorite long story besides the stand was the talisman

I have never read The Talisman. Will have to check it out.

Stand By Me was also one of the better King movies and that story was also in Different Seasons but it was called "The Body"

you can skip the recent sequel. it's not very good r93. the talisman was written with Peter Straub

I had a coworker that used to say "Down the stairs college boy" which was from the story Graveyard Shift

r92 I just read The Talisman thanks to you. I was off work today and found it online.

... do you still value my opinion or should I hide out for a while r97?

It wasn't one of my favorites but I enjoyed it r98. For the longer stories I prefer The Stand and The Green Mile.

the Green Mile makes me cry. which pisses me off because a: I am an adult and b: i have read the book multiple times, it's not a surprise to me.

If I recall Teddy Wiezak worked the gravedigging detail with Harold in Boulder.

Stu is supposed to be 32 in the book but reads as older because he’s a Vietnam vet ( there is the first version that’s set in 1979, then the unabridged is set in 1990) and is also a young widower.

Now I found the complete and uncut version of The Stand online, going to start reading it since I read the original version so long ago.

if you had a throwaway email address, i have almost all his books in epub format, like 48 of them anyway

I wish I knew you IRL, also wish we could edit these posts so if I posted my e-mail I could delete it later

it's really easy to find downloads of the books. I tested one of these for example and it was fine. the ine I got long ago was one file with all the books, these are individuals.

Thanks r105

I started reading the expanded edition of The Stand, damnit I know I will get nothing else done this weekend.

I think the miniseries was well cast except for Molly Ringwald as Frannie, she was not pretty enough.

The expanded edition of The Stand has a different ending than the original, now I read that the new movie will have a different ending. I think the ending in the expanded version is the best, but more depressing.

How is the movie 'The Dark Tower'? It's playing on Showtime now.

It's not bad, R109.

Stephen King movies do much better when they have a budget to work with.

Who is Cobb?

I hope the producers manage to dig up the Laura San Giacomo wig from the miniseries for Amber Heard to wear.

Rob Lowe was hot in the mini series

[quote] Marilyn Manson as Trashcan Man

Typecasting, I see.

Hated the miniseries ,but I will watch this one as The Stand is an all time favorite book ever . I reread it every few years and it always has something new Ive never noticed before. If you like this type of novel ,I suggest reading Swan Song by Robert McCammon .

[quote]I hope the producers manage to dig up the Laura San Giacomo wig from the miniseries for Amber Heard to wear.

Mayhap they is, and mayhap they ain't.

Oooh it's happening, it's really happening.

Dec 17

I hope the whole thing isn't shot as dark as the trailer.

Is CBS All Access free? I don’t have cable.

^It'll be uploaded to a pirate streaming site the same day, so relax.

[quote]Is CBS All Access free?

No, but you can get a 30-day free trial. Wait until The Stand is finished broadcasting to sign up, as I think it's one ep per week rather than a season-long dump site.

Thanks R119!

I really enjoyed the 1995 miniseries, even the casting (except for Molly Ringwald and the kid who played Harold was actually far too handsome). Adam Storke as Larry was gorgeous, the the actors who played Tom Cullen, Ralph Brenter, Trashcan Man and Stu Redman really worked well. I was dismayed to see Rob Lowe cast as Nick, but his performance won me over. I don’t think I could see anyone as Lloyd Henreid but Miguel Ferrrar. The soundtrack was excellent too.

That said, I will definitely be watching. Jamie Sheridan did a good job as Flag but he was scary to look at, with that crazy mullet frightwig. Randall Flagg is supposed to be very ordinary looking, handsome but not over the top evil/crazy looking.

Is it possible to watch the old miniseries anywhere now?

R125 Yes! It’s on YouTube now.0

Thanks R126! I’m going to watch it now.

I have a feeling it's going to be terrible.

Hawk. Teddy names Harold Hawk.

Official trailer

I think it looks horrible. Why not a single one scene of actual end of the world? It's the best part.

Watching the trailer did not make me want to watch the show. (I tried, though. It's not on until December.)

The more I see of the reboot, the less interested I am in it.

Agree R133. The Boulder stuff with Mama whatsherass and the man in black is by far the least interesting part of the book. It seems to be the main focus of this show which will be a huge problem.

DL Icon Ezra Miller is announced as Trashcan Man.

I'm surprised they kept a lid on it that well.

I thought Marilyn Manson was trash can man?

This series appears to be redundant given we are living it.

Premiers tonight on CBS All Access

Is it just me or does the plot around Lauder and his crush come off like a dark comedy? I was howling at the end rehearsing his fake smile and the over the top reveal of his intent to kill Stu and his former babysitter.

He REALLY reminded me of Jim Carrey. And I actually think I mean that in a good way.

Making Harold into an incel is kind of a perfect change. That actually really improves the story in a way I didn't expect.

I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting. I'm not so crazy about them not telling the story in a linear fashion, but the pieces worked.

James Marsden can get it.

The Stand was not Stephen King's best book, but it was his most important.

BOOK SPOILERS

Hmmm.... I don’t know about the non-linear story telling. I can’t imagine anyone who didn’t read the book being to follow it.

As someone said above, there’s not much about the build up to the “end of the world,” and that is shown briefly. I think some of the best scenes in the book were the gradual break down. They even conveyed that in the 1994 (shorter) miniseries. This feels rushed. We see dead bodies everywhere right off. There’s no growing horror. The first scene we see of Fran and her father he’s already sick and distracted; we don’t don’t get any sense of their close relationship, so when he’s dead a few scenes later, it doesn’t resonate.

Fran is really unlikeable. This Fran is (so far) worse than Molly Ringwald’s, which I didn’t think possible.

Whoopi Goldberg was really stiff in her one scene and I don’t buy that she’s 102 or whatever. Strange casting.

Incel Harold...I don’t know. Fran is such a sullen cunt to him from the first scene on that it’s impossible to believe Harold would think he had a chance with her only to lose her to Stu. She isn’t impressed by his sign writing, she just scowls at him.

We haven’t met Larry or Nick yet - maybe their scenes will show more of the breakdown. I hope we get the scenes with Larry and his mother - those were well done in the book.

I think I’m gonna be disappointed overall. The wolves aren’t scary. Harold is just batshit crazy from the first, instead of pompous and affected and awkward.

Amber Heard as Nadine? She’s going to play her as just a sexy but crazy bitch, I bet.

Hopefully Skarsgard’s Flagg will be good. So far, I don’t like the rushed, non-linear start.

I chortled at Harold mimicking Tom 'American Psycho' Cruise

What's the consensus on watching this?

Is everyone going to watch it old style week by week or wait until it's finished and watch the whole thing back to back?

I'm doing week to week but I wish it were released all at once. The Netflix binge-watch model has really spoiled me, waiting every week for a new episode seems so dumb and old fashioned now.

This really isn’t the type of show to binge

Why not R146? I am just about to watch episode 1 and wondering if I should save it all until I can binge it for momentum.

if they continue the series bouncing back and forth in time you will want to watch one episode at a time r147 or you may get whiplash/vertigo.

Whoopi moves around much too easily for a 105 year old person. You need more than a cane and a slight limp at that age.

Agreed R148. I watched the first episode this afternoon. If you hadn't read the book then the jumping back and forth would be VERY confusing. Especially finishing the episode with showing patient-zero Campion running from the base with his wife/baby.

I have decided to wait until it's finished being shown on TV and then watch it all at once rather than week by week.

Excellent post R142.

Brad William Henke as Tom Cullen. Guess he won't be blond then. As he appears in The Stand below.

I watched the premiere and liked it, but it works as a weekly thing for me. Too much to take in at once.

*Book spoilers*

went back and rewatched the first episode. I feel like the first viewing of something based on a book is always a matter of comparing and being disappointed that it doesn’t look like how you pictured it.

On second viewing, I enjoyed it a lot more. The scene with Stu and Starkey was very good. I liked that they made one of the doctors sympathetic - he did a great job.

Still not happy with Harold and Fran but hoping that will change. I did like how they set up a relationship between Teddy and Harold, which will make the lager betrayal that much worse.

There were a lot of minor details straight from the book and I liked that.

Looking forward to the scene where Flagg meets Lloyd and Larry’s mom confronts him.

^ scenes, I meant

Did anyone watch Episode 2? I thought Heather Graham did a great job as Rita and the guy playing Larry is my favorite actor so far. I just don’t like that people are already sick. Maybe I’m morbid, but I wanted to see all the scenes of people realizing this was the flu, the govt covering up, and the shock of loved ones dying. Between them cutting that out and the weird cutting back and forth between present and past, it’s a wonder anyone who hasn’t read the book can follow it.

When they do stick to the book, it’s at its best - the scene with Flagg and Lloyd. The guy who plays Lloyd is great.

So far...it’s missing a sense of dread and things spinning out of control. The scene with Larry and Rita being chased didn’t seem scary at all. The creepiest scene is when Larry is playing to a small crowd and you realize the event isn’t well attended because so many people are sick. Larry thanks for them for that and from the way they respond it seems they are in denial about how serious this virus is. That hit home. But then the mood is ruined by the laughable Wayne Stukey character, who is almost comic (nothing like his book counterpart). Also, like with Fran and her father we get no sense of the relationship between Larry and his mom, other than she doesn’t approve of his drinking. There’s no great Alice Underwood speech about how Larry is not a bad person but a taker. It’s also unclear when she gets sick. Is it the day after his show? That would mean the virus kills in a matter of hours, which removes the poignancy of the scenes where characters (like Jane Baker) seem to be getting better and then take a sudden turn for the worse.

Amber Heard as Nadine Cross isn’t as bad as I expected. She’s brittle as written.

Ummm I actually found the debut episode very scary.

R157 Did you read the book? I found the first episode better tonight second watch. But so far, I swear the 1994 version is scarier.

All the James Marsden scenes in the premier are scary. All of them.

I also don't like the jumping back and forth.

So, I hate it. I will watch all of it but I will bitch the entire time. I live in hope of, once it's all out, someone recutting the order of it. They've absolutely destroyed it which seems difficult because the actual scenes are very very good

also, Amber's hair starting as blonde is bullshit. I like black Larry and skinny Harold but blonde Nadine is a step too far.

also, my dog reacts really weirdly and intensely whenever Randall Flagg shows up. I don't know if it's the music or the green flashing or he just digs his man but, it made me laugh

Are we not going to see how the virus spreads and the utter panic and collapse of society with dead bodies everywhere? That's the best part.

Also, we didn't get to see Larry and Rita going through the Holland (or was it Lincoln) tunnel with all the bodies.

I am basically live blogging in the thread, sorry! I won't hit submit until I get to the end of the episode.

Heather Graham is fantastic as Rita. she has just the right amount of thin veneer of naivete covering up a brittle nervousness.

I think the reason I am reacting so bitchily is because except for the out of order destroying the tension and horror building, it's pretty fucking amazingly close to perfect. It's like they created the PERFECT meal and then took a shit on it and served it to you.

The sewer was smart and *almost * a good substitute for the tunnel (I am claustrophobic with ocd)

I LOVE the touch of how fat the rat's belly was in the prison scene. brilliant.

The guy playing Larry should get an.. Emmy? is it an emmy for tv?

I like the kid playing Joe/Leo. in my head he was always a young Joseph Gordon Levitt.

It's not the Green light or music, it's the guy who play RF my dog is reacting to. I know he's got a strong accent but Mads Mikkelson would have been an AMAZING RF. This guy doesn't do it for me. I did like Matthew Mcconaughey as his turn playing RF.

R163 Well, he is hot. Never really paid attention to him before but I love his voice.

R165 Yeah, the out of order aspect kills the tension. I don’t know about Madss Mikelson, he sort of looks too sinister. Jamey Sheridan in the original did as well. In the book, he’s supposed to be handsome but not particularly noticeable. I can totally see McBongo - he would have delivered those lines perfectly. But Skarsgard is doing well.

Ha! I didn’t notice the fat rat!

I don't find him hot or compelling in the role but, he's not as horrifically bad as Frannie. Way upthread when I said at least it wasn't going to have Molly Ringwald, I didn't mean for them to take it as a challenge

Mcconahayhayhay played Flagg in the criminally bad Dark Tower. He was shockingly perfect for the role

I can totally see Matty-Mac and his laconic voice. But hopefully AS will pull through once we see Vegas.

I am a huge fan of the original miniseries. I didn’t think anyone else could be Lloyd but this Nat Wolfe is very good.

Yeah, I find Frannie annoying in the book, too. I don’t know how they can flesh her out. I can see being shell shocked by this event but she’s just sullen so far.

It will interesting to see the Nick scenes. I hope they have the one with Nadine and the oujja board in college. That freaked me the f out when I first read it!

Who will play Rob Lowe’s character?

Stephen King wrote the last episode and it's a different ending, apparently.

we saw Nick (Rob Lowe's character) r171, he was the eye patch guy with the attitude

Henry Zaga is playing Nick Andros R171. He met Larry and told him that Mother Abagail wanted to see him in episode 2.

As Nick Andros:

It'd be better if someone re-edited the entire thing to put it in chronological order.

Also if they included the build up!

Agreed R176/R177.

Why is albino deadwood Alexander Skarsgard in everything? Does he hit a '10' on the frau meter during focus groups?

^^A male friend of mine fucked him in the late 90s. I met him twice at that time and he was a lovely guy.

Can't Stand it. Awful. Whoopi's wearing what looks like a mop made of Tampons.

I imagine they didn't want to cast someone like Cecily Tyson for Mother Abagail out of fear of the old actress dying on them before the project has finished filming. I mean, we should count our blessings that they didn't go for hot commodity Zendaya in old woman drag (but then she's busy filming Dune).

CBS should have dropped all episodes at once. Episode per week does not benefit the out of order story telling for those unfamiliar w/novel

R183 omg get over it.

Are we going to see the collapse of society and the total chaos? That's the best part of the story.

I think it’s funny they made the Ratman a woman.

The first episode was awful.

R180 I would’ve fucked his father!

You must be ancient R188.

I’m hopeful that one of the future episodes will focus on the beginnings of the pandemic. It feels like this will be the case, however, I’m still enjoying the show.

In looking at cast images, Nadine’s hair might turn pink? I’m curious to see what they do there.

In films/shows I have seen him in, Alexander Skarsgård tends to smile or emote with his mouth closed or just slightly open - so far he has smiled more freely in The Stand which gives him a goofier look (and greater resemblance to his father).

These fucking douchebags apparently decided they hadn't been doing ENOUGH jumping around so they basically doubled it this episode. Its like they got the book in an unbound version, shuffled all the pages and said 'good enough, let's film!'

I don't know if I will be able to continue watching without rage stroking out. I am rewatching the 90s version and there is more dread and tension in the first 3 minutes than in the 3 episodes of the new one (although the new one is better acted). what a goddamned waste.

and if I see one more fucking idiot journalist bitching about Nick and Tom being cast by non handicapped people i will scream. notice none of them are bitching about Whoopie being cast as a 105 yo woman. what about age discrimination sjw's?

I didn't read the book but was it in chron order?

R193 yes, you had characters reflecting on the past but the book did not jump around in time. It starts from when Captain Tripps begins and follows through to the end.

I am totally engrossed with the 1994 version right now.

I didn't realize that I was so affected by the time jumps. In new one-There's no build up, no anticipation, no slow roll dawning horror of the effects of Captain Trips. I don't care about any of the characters, I don't know why I should care about them or like them. Take Nick for example, literally zero idea that hes an honorable stand up guy with a gentle soul. Mother Abigail, wtf is she? why do people care? who knows?

Its just a bunch of random people doing really well after the world somehow ended. And ended in a really clean manner, no muss, no fuss. They really fucked over the viewers not showing the collapse of both society and people's faith in it.

The 1994 version terrified me

I’m with you, Rescue. I loved and still the ‘94 version. Even today, it freaks me out. Maybe I don’t find this new one scary because I’m older? The scene with the Las Vegas guy should have been really creepy and it wasn’t. Whoopi was excellent in The Color Purple but I can’t see her as Mother Abigail - I just see Whoopi Goldberg in a caftan.

Also - and it pains me to say this - Flagg just isn’t scary. Though AS is hot.

The guy playing Nick is great - and I actually like the new Tom and the new Lloyd, but the 94 version was so well cast it’s hard to beat: Gary Sinise, Ruby Dee, Miguel Ferrer, Adam Storke, Ray Walston, Ossie Davis, Matt Frewer and the guys who played Tom and Ralph. Rob Lowe was even really good. And who can forget the Ratman? Shawnee Smith as Julie Lawry was diabolical - she really captured Julie’s malice, immaturity, neediness and spite.

Jamey Sheridan was just terrifying, he really nailed the infernal humor of Flagg.

I am so disappointed with this new version. I’m wondering if the decision to show everything out of order came after it was shot to liven it up.

I’ve said it before - it astounds me that they decided to completely bypass the scariest part, which was the first part of the book.

I also rewatched the ‘94 series and no, it’s not perfect, but it sure pulled you in.

The Ratman as played by the incomparable Rick Aviles.

Does Frannie cry all the time like she does in the novel? "She burst into tears." "She was starting to cry." "By then she had blundered off, crying." "With no warning at all, she was in tears." "She began to weep bitterly." And on and on and on. The excuse is that she's pregnant and pregnant women's "juices" are "in a stew" so they cry all the time, right? Well, no, but that's the excuse. And actually after Frannie has her precious whelp she STILL cries and cries and cries: "Frannie was crying again." "And then there were more tears and she cried hard in spite of herself." Oh yes, in addition to crying all the time she has hysterical giggling fits. God, I HATED Frannie. Is she this insufferable in the this mini-series? Not that I'm going to watch it. It sounds like it's shit.

no, she's molly ringwald with a perfect bob haircut in the 1994 version and some girl who may be, by all appearances, slightly mentaly disabled in the new one.

This version is such a total sausage party. The women just fade into the background.

Frannie is boring and a non entity so far

R201 then why is DL bitching? You would think DL would love a good sausage fest

Well, Frannie always sucked. She’s just there as a baby vessel.

She has one very strange interior monologue about how feminists should thank men for allowing them to be people instead of property. There’s a lot of cringeworthy stuff in the book, to be honest, not the least of which is King’s fascination with women urinating.

But yeah, the new Fran is so awful....I almost miss Molly Ringwald. You know what it feels like? The 94 series had adults in the roles (Miguel Ferrer, Ray Walston, Ossie Davis, Matt Frewer, Jamey Sheridan), the new one feels like it’s just kids playing around at being adults.

I mean, how does an arthritic 105 year old woman have below shoulders length thick dreadlocks?

Why is Larry Underwood made African American in this thing? I don't think it adds any dimension to the character to make him black. But then this has happened before. In the "Salem's Lot" mini-series Matt, who is a sixtyish white man, is played by Andre Braugher. Brent Norton of "The Mist" is also a sixtyish white man, and he too was played by Andre Braugher. Some suggested that Stephen King's works are "racist" and that's why white characters are made black, but that's horseshit. His books aren't racist, although they have featured several "magic negro" characters. No, I think it's just considered politically correct to make some of his characters black. But it doesn't work very well; the race switching changes the character into something totally different from King's creation.

R206 it doesn’t take away either. His race means nothing to the story, which is why they cast who they liked and not based on race.

"His race means nothing to the story, which is why they cast who they liked and not based on race."

Actually, it does. Larry Underwood seemed very "white" to me. Making him black changes him into a different character entirely. Of course it would. Stephen King's characters, except for the "magic negros", are VERY white.

Well most of his stories take place in Maine, which is a very white place.

I like it so far. But I am not an avid Stephen King fan. Never read the books or watched the previous versions.

Henry Zaga is super hot in this, as is Alexander Skarsgård.

Oh, what could have been! I would have loved to have seen George A. Romero's version of The Stand, that was in pre-production during most of the 80s, but never filmed. This might have been a terrific follow up to his Living Dead movies.

The Stand and Dawn of the Dead were released only a couple of weeks apart in 1978, and there is that great scene in Dawn where Gaylen Ross is having a romantic dinner with her partner in the abandoned restaurant mall that almost matches the one in The Stand with Rita and Larry. Romero's Stand would have been great, he had a way of making horror irreverent and fun.

Dawn is a masterpiece.

[quote]LMAO at Trash Can Man "my life for you". Marilyn Manson should be really interesting.

Too bad they ended up casting him as The Kid and then ditched all those scenes before filming even began. He also had scheduling conflicts, so they dumped that entire story arc.

Eion Bailey was by far the hottest guy on this show... Such a shame they had him killed off by Nadine so early. Hope he finds more work... Preferably starring in roles where he's shirtless or nude often.

Ugh I am so disappointed with this. When I heard it was going to be 10 episodes I thought, Finally, they can really flesh out the characters and tell the story right.

We actually got to know the characters much better in the ‘94 series.

I think they should have opted for three seasons, told in linear fashion, with flashbacks that are pre-flu.

Season 1: the flu, the dreams and the end of the world. Characters introduced including those who later become the spies so we care when they die.

Season 2: Boulder and the seeds of Harold’s and Nadine’s treachery (including a flashback of Nadine’s college Ouija Board experience). More of the committes’s discussions with Glen - those were good. Maybe end with Abagail leaving. The selection of the spies.

Season 3: Las Vegas. Lloyd, the fate of the spies, the bomb, the fates of Harold and Nadine, the walk to Vegas, the stand, the end trip back for two if the characters.

Although the casting for this version has often been good, especially Henry Zaga and Alex Wolf, Whoopi Goldberg is awful (her acting and the lines she’s given). A character actor who is actually elderly would have been a better choice. Also someone better for Fran Goldsmith.

Brad William Henke, who plays the very special and much loved Tom Cullen, is one of the worst actors I have ever seen. There's simply no other way to describe him.

He gives the term "chewing up the scenery" new meaning.

R217 I’m listening to a podcast about the show and they are offended at how Tom was portrayed in the ‘94 show but I think that Bill Fagerbakke nailed the character as written. Yes, he is a mildly retarded man and Fagerbakke played him that way. He’s also loyal and loving and his relationship with Nick was very moving.

Yeah, King writes these “special” characters with supernatural abilities (Tom and Joe) but that’s his style.

Tom in this version goes to Las Vegas and everyone is mean to him. In the book, he marvels at how nice and normal everyone in Vegas is, except that they are afraid.

One of the best Nick and Tom scenes involves Tom saving Nick from a tornado and the two of them taking shelter in a storm cellar. It’s very creepy.

R216 Cicely Tyson would have been perfect for Mother Abigail, but I assume she was probably too frail.

I agree that this should have been split into 3 parts/seasons. They really missed the boat by short shrifting Captain Tripps and Vegas. I also think Amber Heard might have made a better Frannie.

R218

What podcast so you listen to?

I highly recommend The Stand graphic novel. It's fantastic and very well-done.

R220 It’s called the Loser’s Club and they also have an in-depth series of discussions on the 1994 series.

They absolutely blew it basically writing out the apocalypse. It’s by far the best and creepiest part of the book. It was an incredibly stupid artistic choice and has ruined the series. The scant flashbacks were pathetic.

Is anybody still watching this?

I totally lost interest at episode 5. I can't believe it. It's one of my favorite books and I was so excited about the when I heard The Stand was being remade for 2020 but what a total disaster.

Much of the cast are very unlikable or they are bad actors and badly miscast in some of the most important roles like Fran, Nick, Larry and Tom. The jumping backwards and forwards hasn't been done well - it has been confusing, disjointed and has detracted from the momentum. The story works best in a linear sequence because it builds to certain events. As R223 has said - the almost complete eradication of the superflu plague leaves a huge unsatisfied hole.

I'm horrified to say this but the 1994 version was much better.

What does everyone else think? Is it even worth watching the rest of it?

I’ve hate watched it. It’s pretty much a total failure. The nineties series was better.

R224 Why do you hate to say it?5 The 1994 version was excellent: Cast, plotting and even the score was great.

I’ve been really disappointed with this new version. It’s rushed, confusing and downright stupid at times. I mean, a community of people who enjoy watching innocent people brutalize and murder one another for sport in an old swimming pool is going to be appalled at the shooting of a lone man thought to be a traitor? So ridiculous.

It should have had a slow build over three seasons. There’s enough story and character development in the book for that. The dread and fear of Flagg and his community needed to be convincing, not just accepted because Whoopi mentioned it casually once.

I am hate watching this show. The last episode even by show's low standards was an exceptional shit show. The way they completely fucked up Vegas is almost amazing. Who in their right minds read the script with orgies and statues and drug use and alcohol and killing of people (in already 99,9 percent destroyed) society with chainsaws and thought it's a good idea?

Also after reading script/treatment, why would Marsden & Skarsgård, or their reps sign on for this crapfest?

They’re both very good and would have really shone in a better version of the series. It’s too bad.

Marsden & Skarsgård are excellent. What a waste. I wonder what they think of it... I guess they would have to say they love it.

Yes you are absolutely right R226. The 1994 version was excellent. They did a really great job of it - especially looking back now in retrospect and comparing it to this remake. I've heard a few people say they thought the 1994 version was lame around here so that's why I said I hate to say it but I thought it was excellent. I was hoping for something improved with the 2020 version but no...

The last episode is being shown next week. I still can't believe I'm not glued to the series. I was really looking forward to it.

The Stand is a great story, I wish a proper adaptation would happen.

Same here R231. It won't be remade again though.

Hope James Wan doesn't screw up the film version of Salem's Lot. Many DLers were young-lings who watched 1st adaptation & scared the bejesus out of us

R230 Well, this new version has made me really appreciate th ‘94 series. I used to think, it would be much scarier if it weren’t shown on regular tv but that turned out not to be the case - the ‘94 version really is scarier. Not because of the effects but because we really get to know these characters and don’t want anything to happen to them.

That said, I think other actors (besides Marsden and Skarsgard) were very good, even though they weren’t given much. I could have watched a lot more with Henry Zaga as Nick - he looked the way I’ve imagined Nick. Also, I loved Nat Wolf’s take on Lloyd - much different than Miguel Ferrer’s brooding and worried right hand man, but it worked. When he was onscreen, I was always engaged. Finally, Owen Teague was a more complex Harold and he did a great job. The shuffled scene structure really hurt his story, though. We never got to see him evolve as Harold does in the book.

Overall, the ‘94 casting was near perfect, especially Gary Sinise, Adam Storke, Ray Walston, Bill Fagerbaake and Miguel Ferrer. Jamey Sheridan was a little over the top but he really was scary. Ruby Dee was excellent in a thankless role. Rob Lowe grew on me. Many small parts were done well: Ed Harris as Starkey, Shawnee Smith as Julie Lawry, Ralph, the Shoyo sheriff and doctor, even the Ratman.

The 2020 version had some awful casting: Fran, Nadine, Mother Abagail.

I hold out hope they will take their time and do it right over a few seasons. This felt so rushed, there was no build up of dread.

Did anyone notice that Owen King was one of the producers on The Stand 2020? I have seen Stephen King make a couple of positive comments on Twitter about Owen Teague's acting skills but haven't seen anything from him about what he thought about the actual series. He usually has something to say.

The Stand is a book I try to re-read every once in a while, it’s one of my favorites. I’m very nervous to watch this series though, seeing these comments. Shame CBS all Access didn’t give them a two to three series commitment to tell the story right.

the problem isn't lack of time for the story to be told (well, not the MAJOR) problem, it's that they did the story WAY out of order. I mean, there's other issues like complete changes regarding people's feelings towards Flagg and how the city is and lack of character building but I think a lot of the character building issues could have been worked out better if they had JUST FOLLOWED THE STORY sequentially. It has such potential, the guy who plays Larry was phenomenal in the beginning. I will finish hate watching it but I will (DRAMATIC) never forgive them for this shitshow

The final episode is one of the worst pieces of shit I have ever seen. OMG they blew a golden opportunity with this series, they could've had a great show if they'd just followed the damn novel.

I still cannot believe how profoundly awful this adaptation is. I gave up after episode 5. Did Stephen King really sign off on this garbage. An unbelievable waste of a story and assembled talent.

I gave up at what I think was episode 5 too R239. The one that ended with Nadine shooting Harold's work friend. I'd say a lot of people gave up at that point because there were no posts in this thread for weeks after that episode.

My understanding is that when King sells the filming rights he has no further input unless specified in the contract and I've heard nothing about it for the 2020 version. He did have involvement in the 1994 version and was in it (when Tom and Stu returned to Boulder in the snow and also arriving at Mother Abigail's house in Boulder).

I know this is Datalounge and we are a bunch of highfalutin, critical bitches and that's expected - but this isn't complaining for the sake of it. The Stand 2020 was a bust. As bad as The Dark Tower. I'm going to have to watch the rest of it just to see how bad it was. What a pity.

I posted this thread about King & Straub's "The Talisman" being made by Spielberg's Amblin after 35 years.

Let's just hope they don't fuck that up too badly! Low hopes. Who did Misery, Shawshank and Delores Claiborne? The Talisman needs them desperately!

King basically wrote the final episode. It was a coda he wanted to include for the Frankie so they let him write the finale. His imprimatur was all over this shit heap unfortunately.

They cut out the pandemic which is nearly half the book and chose to focus on the least interesting part, the bullshit between Boulder and Vegas. What plague they did show was in out of joint flashbacks. The show severely suffered for it. This was a huge missed opportunity. I don’t know what it is about King’s books that Hollywood struggles with. Maybe his books are unfilmable.

Frankie= Frannie. He wrote it because he felt he short shrifted Frannie in the original and wanted her to be able to make her own “stand.”

Completely fucking stupid, what a waste.

Well at least we got to see Marsden shirtless and he looks good, but those were 8 hrs we'll never get back

And Skarsgard's butt looks great

Well, shirtless Skarsgard was good. The rest was terrible. Though I have to say watching their road trip was creepy. I kept thinking how many terrible Garvey (the guy who had the “harem” of imprisoned women) types there were out there?

Also...the Magical Negro Child...y tho?!

I did like the smiley button.

That was really Skarsgard’s ass!

It was a young Mother Abigail R247. The house they were in in Indiana was supposed to have been hers when she was a child.

And Nebraska too!

I know it was another Abagail...it just didn’t work. The whole series was terrible and not scary.

Indiana Nebraska... whatever. Same thing.

So...how soon before another attempt is made?

That was it R253. It won't be remade again.

Finally watching this, and wishing that I hadn't started. I try to view movies adaptations as taking place in an alternate reality from the book to try not to be annoyed by small changes that are largely unnecessary - like Hemingford Home being a retirement Home in Colorado, rather than a rural town in Nebraska. Or Fran and Harold leaving Ogunquit in late summer instead of early summer.

Larger problems are a deep lack of characterization. All of the characters are sketches, including Randall Flagg. There is no true sense that this is an epic battle of good vs evil, at least so far. There is very little indication that these characters have inner lives, or what they have been through to get to Boulder. Why did God turn away from Mother Abigail? In the book it was because she reveled in people paying homage to her, causing her to miss that Nadine was a threat. In the series, she is just praying because he stopped talking to her.

They also eliminated Lucy Swann. Lucy wasn't a terribly important character in and of herself, but she was vital to Larry's development from a selfish loser to someone who was capable of self sacrifice.

When Nadine finally came to give herself to Larry he chose to stay with Lucy (and Joe/Leo,) breaking with his old self, and choosing to move forward as a better person. In the series, he still rejects her, but there is no history between them that is shown that gives any indication of why it is important that he do so.

Nadine is a whole other issue, but this is long enough already. I am going to finish because I am already in episode 5 of 9.

I am disappointed, but unsurprised.

Apparently Flagg has a seriously beastly horsecock.

Watched the series. Wasn't bad.

Didn't appreciate that they associate gay men with "the side of evil".

I finished it. The final episode with the new material from Stephen King was the best one. It actually gave Frannie something to do, even though it was obvious she was going to fall into the well. Plus the lingering shots of Skarsgard butt.

Overall, I didn't feel like it was a good adaptation. It diluted the characters and the story from the book.

One more thing. The Trashcan Man. Absolutely no attempt was made to truly introduce or explain this character. Ezra Miller played him like a deranged freak from The Road Warrior. His entire backstory was ignored. I always felt that, for all his insane pyromania, Trashy was a sympathetic figure who just wanted to fit in somewhere, but threw it all away. His journey across America, with flashbacks to his childhood were important to the book and the character. His experience with The Kid in the unexpurgated edition was terrifying, and he deserved better than what this miniseries did to his character.