IT’S TIME TO TAKE A STAND
Article by Adam Mast
So what’s going on with THE STAND? The famed (and uber thick) Stephen King novel was adapted into a Mick Garris directed t.v. mini-series starring Molly Ringwald, Gary Sinise, Matt Frewer, Rob Lowe, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis, way back in 1994. For years, Warner Brothers has been trying to bring a new version to the big screen. Everyone from Ben Affleck (ARGO) to Scott Cooper (OUT OF THE FURNACE) has taken a crack at it, but for now, the project remains in development.
Currently, Josh Boone is working on a script. Boone made a big box-office splash earlier this summer with THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. I know, I know…You may be asking yourself, how the hell did the director of a teen cancer drama land a deal to adapt one of the most popular (and epic) Stephen King novels of all time? A fair question. If you ask me, it’s clear that WB is impressed with the way Boone and his screenwriting team put their last project together. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS deals with dark subject matter and it does it with dignity, class, and a surprising amount of humor. THE STAND deals with a disease as well, so when you look at it that way, it’s not that big of a stretch. Of course, in terms of scale, THE STAND is quite a bit larger than THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. Still, Boone is terrific with actors and THE STAND will feature plenty of those. In recent weeks, Boone has gone on record as saying that his take on THE STAND will be a 3 hours plus epic with an R rating and an A-list cast.
Which brings us to the big STAND rumor of the week. Deadline.com recently reported that Warner Brothers and Boone want Matthew McConaughey for the pivotal role of the menacing Randall Flagg (a role played memorably played by Jamie Sheridan in the mini-series.) Again, this is merely a wish list choice, but quite frankly, it’s a great choice.
As everyone is well aware, McConaughey has had an epic career turn-around in the past few years. It started with roles in THE LINCOLN LAWYER and BERNIE, and it continued last year with THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, MUD, TRUE DETECTIVE, and an Oscar win for DALLAS BUYER’S CLUB. With November’s highly anticipated Christopher Nolan offering, INTERSTELLAR, the McConaughey streak looks to continue.
Given McConaughey’s epic career transformation, it seems only fitting that he’d take on a role in an epic Stephen King adaptation. Whether or not he actually chooses to accept the role remains to be seen.
So you’re all probably wondering what Stephen King has to say about all of this. Good question. King hasn’t really spoken too much about it but at one point, he did say that if THE STAND were made into a 2 hour movie, it would probably be a disaster. He also suggested that a big screen adaptation of the 1,100 paged novel might work if it were broken down into a trilogy. Beyond that, he’s been relatively tight lipped. I welcome a big screen adaptation of THE STAND but I can’t imagine this project happening without King’s involvement.
More news on THE STAND as it becomes available.
Here’s a look at the 1994 t.v. mini-series;
