The story of adapting Stephen King's The Stand (for the second time, after the 1994 miniseries) has become so long-winded that it could almost be a novel in itself. A new plot twist has just emerged, with word that it'll now arrive via the CBS All Access streaming service in the US, with The Fault In Our Stars' Josh Boone still attached to oversee the show.
All Access, home to the likes of Star Trek: Discovery and The Good Fight, has handed down a straight-to-series order for the show, described as a "limited event series". Which, translated into British, really means fancy miniseries that could spawn more if people watch the first 10. And given that King's original novel is around 1,100 pages long, they'll need the room.
Assuming it truly goes ahead this time, the drama will bring to life King's apocalyptic vision of a world decimated by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil. The fate of mankind rests on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abagail and a handful of survivors. Their worst nightmares are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the Dark Man.
"I’m excited and so very pleased that The Stand is going to have a new life on this exciting new platform," King says. "The people involved are men and women who know exactly what they’re doing; the scripts are dynamite. The result bids to be something memorable and thrilling. I believe it will take viewers away to a world they hope will never happen." Boone and Ben Cavell will write the initial script and work on the series along with fellow producers including King's son Owen.
It looked for a while like The Stand would be turned into a movie, or series of movies, with names such as David Yates and Ben Affleck floating around. Boone was brought aboard in 2014, Warner Bros. hoping he could bring it to screens. Since then, it has mutated into an idea to combine a TV series and movies (as was the plan with The Dark Tower, which has yet to come to fruition after the movie's reception) and now, its current form. The experiment to see just how many adaptations of Stephen King's work can exist on one planet without the place experiencing a dimensional shift continues...
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