The Stand


No official plot, but the book told the post-apocalyptic story of a world wiped out by a man-made plague and a war between good versus evil ensues with the remaining human population.

How excited are you to see this movie?: 
Average: 3.2 (1193 votes)


CURRENT STATUS: 
Development Hell

DIRECTOR:

 
PROJECT DETAILS:

It looks like this film adaptation is long dead, as a new 9-episode limited series was filmed and aired on CBS All Access back in 2020 to mixed reviews. (1/16/23)

It looks like the project is now on hold, as the studio attempts to figure out the best way to proceed. Here's what one of the producers had to say about it: "Right now it’s just in a holding pattern trying to figure out how to best make the movie because we’ve toyed with breaking it up into multiple movies, making it into one, making it into two. The latest draft, Josh Boone had written it and he was very anxious to make it but since then has written another script, Revival, which he’s gonna do beforehand, so we’re just waiting for that." (2/19/16)

Apparently the idea for a miniseries has been scrapped, as one of the producer's was quoted saying: "There was definitely talk about doing that but the logistics made it very difficult to try to do a worldwide launch of a movie when the TV component would not necessarily be released at the same time worldwide. So it became a logistic nightmare to try to figure that out, so that plan was abandoned." (2/19/16)

It's said that an eight-part miniseries will be developed and premiere on Showtime, which would eventually be followed up by this film. Director Josh Boone will also helm the series, which is expected to begin filming sometime early 2016. A miniseries will allow Boone to cover more of Stephen King’s book than one, three-hour movie ever could. It's also said that Stephen King will be involved in some capacity with both the miniseries and movie. (5/5/15)

Matthew McConaughey will play antagonist Randall Flagg, who's described as "a grinning cowboy with supernatural powers who establishes a power base in the ruins of Las Vegas."

According to a recent interview with director/co-writer Josh Boone, the studio is looking to do four separate films instead of one 3-hour movie, which was the original plan. Here's what he had to say: "So what happened is the script gets finished, I write it in like five months. Everybody loves it. [Stephen] King loves it. $87 million is what it was budgeted at. Really expensive for a horror drama that doesn’t have set pieces. They came back and said ‘Would you do it as multiple films?’ and I said ‘F–k yes!’ So I think we are going to do like four movies." He adds..."I loved my script but I was willing to drop it in an instant because you’re able to do an even truer version this way. I can’t tell you anything about how we’re going to do them or what’s going to be in which movie. I’ll just say we are going to do four movies, and we’re going to do ‘The Stand’ at the highest level you can do it at with a cast that’s going to blow people’s minds. We’ve already been talking to lots of people, and have people on board in certain roles that people don’t know about. We’re looking to go into production next year, maybe in the spring." (11/22/14)

Director Josh Boone was interviewed recently and had this to say about the film: "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."

It's said that this will likely be around 3-hours.

Apparently Josh Boone is writing a part specifically for actor Nat Wolff (New Year's Eve, Stuck in Love) into the film.

Josh Boone (Stuck in Love, The Fault in Our Stars) is the latest name that's said to be in negotiations to direct. The reported intention is to "adapt King’s novel as a single, R-rated movie that will be faithful to the book." (2/26/14)

Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) was in talks to direct and write, but both Cooper and the studio couldn't agree on a way to properly adapt the material. (11/21/13)

Ben Affleck was going to direct, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with his new role as Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel.

David Kajganich (The Invasion, Blood Creek, It remake) will script.

Director David Yates and writer Steve Kloves (duo behind the last four Harry Potter films) were previously going to take on the project, but backed away. Yates explains why in a recent interview: "What I love about King’s work and what I love about The Stand is the fact that Stephen King really puts you into these people’s lives, and you see the world from a very intimate human level, which normally is something I love. But we felt this pressure to make these super tentpole movies with this material, and the things that you get in Potter — which are these extraordinary episodes of action — they didn’t exist in the material, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to deliver the kind of movie that ultimately the studio was hoping to get from this material. I could see making a miniseries from it, a really interesting, intricate, layered, enjoyable long-burn of a miniseries, I could see that, but what was missing for me were the big movie moments in the material, the big set pieces."

The studios and producers will sit down with writers and directors in the coming weeks in an attempt to find the right take on the material. (2/01/11)

This project would be a change for director Ben Affleck, whose last two films were gritty crime dramas (Gone Baby Gone, The Town).

Apparently Warner Bros. beat out Fox and Sony in a tight bidding war to be involved with this project.

Stephen King is said will be involved in some capacity.

It's currently undetermined whether this adaptation will span one or multiple movies.

A tone-downed adaptation of the book aired as a six-hour miniseries by ABC in 1994.

George Romero and Warner Bros. reportedly tried to launch a movie adaptation in the 1980s, but failed.

The original novel was published in 1978, but was re-released in 1990 with revised portions of the story added by King.

Based on the novel by Stephen King.


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