An adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand has been a movie on the edge of getting made for decades. From the planned version with director George Romero back in the 80s, through the flirtations that led to the 1994 ABC miniseries version all the way up to today, fans of King’s pinnacle work (yeah, we said it) have anxiously and not so patiently waited for a definitive feature adaptation to reach the screen.
Director Josh Boone thinks he’s the guy to finally get that film to the promised land — and he’s dropping some pretty specific info about his forthcoming production in a new interview with Vulture (re-reported by Crave film site Coming Soon).
“We’re gonna do one three-hour, R-rated version with an amazing A-list cast across the board. Every single one of those characters will be somebody you recognize and somebody you relate to. And it’s gonna be awesome. I’m really excited. It’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever got to do in my entire life. If 12-year-old me had ever known that one day I’d be doing this, to even just go back and look at that kid, I’d be like, Keep doing what you’re doing! It’s just crazy. I’ve met so many actors over the years, and like, when I met Stephen King, I hugged him with tears in my eyes. He meant that much to me when I was young. I still say everything I learned about writing I learned from Stephen King. I don’t read screenplays. I don’t read screenplay how-to books. It’s always just, establish the character. Establish the character.”
While we’re hopeful that Boone is the man who’s finally cracked how to condense this beast of a novel down to a functioning film, it’s an exceedingly tall order. At 1,100-plus pages and two-dozen central characters, it’s an adaptation issue of Watchmen-level proportions to get this script down to three hours while servicing the end of the world and the last apocalyptic battle of good and evil.
Not to mention the most pressing matter Boone will be facing: rabid fan expectations. King fans have had 30 years to decide exactly how Mother Abigail, Trashcan Man, Larry Underwood, Randall Flagg and all the others “should be” in a film. And specific story beats — the horrific walk through the darkened Lincoln Tunnel, the climax at the MGM Grand — will have to be just so as well.
Bottom line — NO film will meet those expectations. It’s just impossible. But seeing just how many Boone can check off the list while building a complete, satisfying film experience is gonna be fascinating to see.
Assuming this thing ever gets finished, of course…
