THE STAND FILM ADAPTATION TO GET SOME OF THAT HARRY POTTER LOVE - Page 2

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Originally Posted by fuzzy dunlop 

Am I an asshole for not wanting Christian Bale anywhere near this?  I think hes a terrible choice for Stu.  Olyphant is perfect.

 

For whatever reason, I always liked Kiefer Sutherland for Flagg.

 

Bale might be able to pull Stu off, but he's far from my first or favored choice. I like him a lot more for Flagg, but I think there are better choices for both roles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by S.D. Bob Plissken 

 

I'm all for a Henry Fonda-esque bit of stunt casting for the role of Flagg (as long as it is with a good actor), but can Hanks actually go that dark?

 

I don't think so, and I feel the same way about Matt Damon. Casting either one would be casting against type for the sake of casting against type. Flagg isn't really a subtle villain. He's actually an utter lunatic. He can be jovial one second, and then fly into a fit of rage and kill someone the next. Often his emotions are over the top. I feel Hanks and Damon are too "everyman" to really be able to put the fear of God (or, uh, the Devil) into you.

If I had to cast against type I'd pick Johnny Depp, although I know people are probably getting sick of him. But I feel Flagg should be played by someone with a larger than life presence, and Depp has that. He's got the sort of rock star vibe to him. I also think there's a darkness to him that really hasn't been tapped since Once Upon A Time In Mexico, where he played the slimy Agent Sands.

Bale is a good actor, but I'd be afraid he'd phone it in (ala Terminator).  Sutherland would be a good choice for Flagg and it would give audiences a chance to see the fun side of Kiefer again.

As I said above, there are plenty of fantastic choices for all the parts.  It is becoming clearer and clearer to me that the wait (until casting begins) is going to be a painful one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by t3cii 

I don't think so, and I feel the same way about Matt Damon. Casting either one would be casting against type for the sake of casting against type. Flagg isn't really a subtle villain. He's actually an utter lunatic. He can be jovial one second, and then fly into a fit of rage and kill someone the next. Often his emotions are over the top. I feel Hanks and Damon are too "everyman" to really be able to put the fear of God (or, uh, the Devil) into you.

 

If I had to cast against type I'd pick Johnny Depp, although I know people are probably getting sick of him. But I feel Flagg should be played by someone with a larger than life presence, and Depp has that. He's got the sort of rock star vibe to him. I also think there's a darkness to him that really hasn't been tapped since Once Upon A Time In Mexico, where he played the slimy Agent Sands.

 

 

 

I disagree about Damon, but I do like what you're saying about Depp(coming from someone who IS sick of him). At least it would be something different from the guy. 

The painted pic you have of Flagg reminds me of Robert Downey Jr. from In Dreams. I think Downey would be a solid choice, by the way. Over saturation is making me withhold his name from this fan-draft, though. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walker 

 

The painted pic you have of Flagg reminds me of Robert Downey Jr. from In Dreams.

I was thinking he looked like a cross between Jim Carey and Charles Manson. I think it's from the Marvel series. Has anyone read it, by the way? It's not bad. Maybe a bit too reliant on using text from the book, but it manages to capture scenes in a way the mini series wasn't able to, like Larry's fantasies of what awaits him in the Lincoln Tunnel.

Because I think about this far too much, two more casting suggestions:

Sam Worthington as Stu Redman: Yes, I know Worthington has gone from kinda-hero to sorta-zero pretty quickly but I'm a fan of his understated badass quality. He looks and acts like the kind of guy who doesn't need to raise his voice and doesn't feel the need to start a fight but will quickly and efficiently end one. These are qualities I feel are necessary for a convincing, compelling portrayal of Stu. Plus, he has in the past displayed good chemistry with Abbie Cornish - my #1 choice for Fran Goldsmith - so there you go.

Anton Yelchin as Harold Lauder: As I've said in the past, Lauder is the trickiest role to cast. He has to be intelligent, dickish, pitiable and disturbing but able to hide his budding psychopathology behind an affable mask. And young - it's important that he's basically a kid. Yelchin radiates the kind of intense intelligence the role requires and I think he's enough of an actor to pull off the various shades of Harold. If he's willing to put on a little weight for the early sequences - not a heap, just enough to appear slovenly - I think he's a top choice.

Oh, and Jackie Earle Haley as The Trashcan Man. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommy five-tone 

 These are qualities I feel are necessary for a convincing, compelling portrayal of Stu. 

These are things you're never going to get from a Sam Worthington portrayal of anything. The man is made of cardboard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cooper 

These are things you're never going to get from a Sam Worthington portrayal of anything. The man is made of cardboard.

 

Stu is pretty stoic, taciturn, and all that jazz. Those long stretches of silence will serve Worthington well with his slippy accent.

If you are going by that painting to cast Flagg, then Nicky Katt is your man.

I'd have said Colin Farrell.

Some great suggestions on here.   My bit of stunt casting would be either Morgan Freeman or Michael Gambon as Glen Bateman.   For Flagg, I like Bradley Cooper alot but I think Matthew McConeghy would be a better fit as age has made him suitably grizzled for the part.   For Stu, I don't think you can do better than Timothy Oliphant.   The guy is just about perfect,  

As for the production team, the only thing that worries me about Kloves doing the adaptation is that he's pretty faithful to the source material and that's a bit of a problem here.   Point being, there's alot of great story here but the climactic showdown in Vegas needs work.   Like change that whole part kind of work.    Any ideas about how to change the ending in Las Vegas?    That might be a good discussion to have.

Finally, for the much deserved hate the mini gets, the casting of it is often inspired especially with the casting of Stu, Nick, and especially Tom.   Even Harold is cast right.

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Originally Posted by dynamotv 

 

Finally, for the much deserved hate the mini gets, the casting of it is often inspired especially with the casting of Stu, Nick, and especially Tom.   Even Harold is cast right.

The casting for Tom, I'll grant you. The rest - no. Lowe as Nick was especially badly miscast. Loved Lowe on West Wing, but he was a bad fit for Nick. 

It was a trip seeing Parker Lewis play Harold.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynamotv 

 

Finally, for the much deserved hate the mini gets, the casting of it is often inspired especially with the casting of Stu, Nick, and especially Tom.   Even Harold is cast right.

I think the best bits of casting in the mini were Miguel Ferrer as Lloyd and Matt Frewer as Trashcan Man.  The rest range from "ok, but wrong for the part" (Sinise) to "worse than cancer" (Molly Ringwald).  

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynamotv 

For Flagg......I think Matthew McConeghy would be a better fit as age has made him suitably grizzled for the part.  

Damn good suggestion!

I completely agree that kurt russel would genuinely be good for The Stand, especially as the Walking Dude. Kurt Russels performance in Deathproof - i've just realised - would be very good for  The Stand. He has a creepy element about him too.

Perhaps William H macy is a bit too old for the part now, but i could see a potential Trashcan man - especially after watching some episodes of the new Shameless. But maybe that particular role only suits him because its comical. Anybody else?

Also Zachary Quinto - in my opinion - would give The Stand that spark it needs if he were to play Flagg - he's creepy (based on Heroes), and he can be just as likeable - which i found myself doing in the book - liking Flagg that is.

I know people have said Paul Dano for Harold but i think he'd suit Nick's character more. Paul Dano has a faraway look in his eyes - like his lost one of his senses so that's my suggestion

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynamotv 

Some great suggestions on here.   My bit of stunt casting would be either Morgan Freeman or Michael Gambon as Glen Bateman.   For Flagg, I like Bradley Cooper alot but I think Matthew McConeghy would be a better fit as age has made him suitably grizzled for the part.   For Stu, I don't think you can do better than Timothy Oliphant.   The guy is just about perfect,  

 

As for the production team, the only thing that worries me about Kloves doing the adaptation is that he's pretty faithful to the source material and that's a bit of a problem here.   Point being, there's alot of great story here but the climactic showdown in Vegas needs work.   Like change that whole part kind of work.    Any ideas about how to change the ending in Las Vegas?    That might be a good discussion to have.

 

Finally, for the much deserved hate the mini gets, the casting of it is often inspired especially with the casting of Stu, Nick, and especially Tom.   Even Harold is cast right.

I completely agree for Morgan Freeman as Glen Bateman - it would be a nice comforting addition and not to mention his frequent appearances in other King adaptations. Again i agree about the Flagg suggestions, but i edge more toward Bradley Cooper - he has that shifty look, but then again i think he'd make quite a good Trashcan Man considering. If they could make Matthew McConaughey

look darker and scarier then he maw work as Flagg. 

Timothy Olypahnt for Stu Redman??!! That's a bad suggestion in my opinion, as he is no gruff enough. Jake Gyllenhaal however - again, in my opinion - would be perfect, and he has that quality of being able to act neutrally, and not lose character traits.

This is probably a bad suggestion but i usually picture Kate Winslet as Fran.

And as for the ending i thought there should have been more of a struggle - considering the bulk of the book, everyone was expecting a serious climax no doubt. On the other hand i'd also argue that this is the beauty to the story too. Everything before the climax was such a strain for the characters and knew there was a deeper meaning to everything that was happening. So when it comes to the end it seemed a bit too simple to rid themselves of the infamous Flagg. The things that happened previous seemed a waste of time, not only to the reader but to the characters too. It symbolises something, that i can't quite put my finger on.

Did you really need to create all those separate posts?
 

Also, your suggestions for Stu and Fran make no sense. Fran is in college, and Stu is older than her by at least ten years.

If The Stand went into production today, I could Emma Stone working as Fran.   She's got a toughness to her that works.   For Stu, you need someone who is late 20's to early 30's who has a common touch.   Timothy Oliphant is the only one that springs to mind since the ones that would work are too old for the part like Kevin Costner.

The problem like I said is the ending in Vegas.   It just doesn't work.   The cause of the bomb exploding at the end is Flagg not being in control of his powers any more.   Maybe a little foreshadowing would work better or at least make the "hand of God" a little more ambiguous.   Just something different.

As a fan of the book, I am looking forward to this adaption. It isn't perfect, and one could argue ending is a bit of a deus ex machina, but it still has a great story and characters feels chillingly real. The original book was published in 1978, and I feel the cast for a new trilogy of movies should be more ethnically diverse if it is going to be set in the modern day. Some of the characters should be made to not be white, and I really liked the Morgan Freeman idea for Glen Bateman that was mentioned earlier.

Stu Redman = Joshua Jackson. He is exactly the right age to play Stu, and I feel he looks the part well enough as well. Contrary to some other opinions on this thread, I think that Sinise was perfect as stu! but Jackson could come pretty close too.

Ralph Brentner = Jeff Bridges. He's the right age, and has the right simple man with worldly wisdom to play Ralph.

Glen Bateman = Morgan Freeman. I think that Morgan Freeman would be perfect for the slightly eccentric professor role. My original choice was John Lithgow, but I feel the cast needs some more diversity, and Freeman would be perfect either way.

Nadine Cross = Eva Green. I don't think this needs any explanation.

Randall Flagg = Kurt Russel. Perfect in my opinion.

Beyond this I don't really have any ideas. I think that Nick's ethnicity should be changed and or maybe Larry's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChronoTravis 

As a fan of the book, I am looking forward to this adaption. It isn't perfect, and one could argue ending is a bit of a deus ex machina, but it still has a great story and characters feels chillingly real. The original book was published in 1978, and I feel the cast for a new trilogy of movies should be more ethnically diverse if it is going to be set in the modern day. Some of the characters should be made to not be white, and I really liked the Morgan Freeman idea for Glen Bateman that was mentioned earlier.

 

Stu Redman = Joshua Jackson. He is exactly the right age to play Stu, and I feel he looks the part well enough as well. Contrary to some other opinions on this thread, I think that Sinise was perfect as stu! but Jackson could come pretty close too.

 

Ralph Brentner = Jeff Bridges. He's the right age, and has the right simple man with worldly wisdom to play Ralph.

 

Glen Bateman = Morgan Freeman. I think that Morgan Freeman would be perfect for the slightly eccentric professor role. My original choice was John Lithgow, but I feel the cast needs some more diversity, and Freeman would be perfect either way.

 

Nadine Cross = Eva Green. I don't think this needs any explanation.

 

Randall Flagg = Kurt Russel. Perfect in my opinion.

 

Beyond this I don't really have any ideas. I think that Nick's ethnicity should be changed and or maybe Larry's.

Freeman could work as Glen. I suppose there's no real reason Glen needs to be white. I tend to agree that The Stand could be more ethnically diverse. Especially when you consider The Free Zone is made up of people from different parts of the U.S.  But I'm not sure I'd want to change the ethnicity of Larry. He's a white guy playing bluesy rock music. At one point in the story his mother says he sounds like he's putting on a "black" singing voice. Just visually I see him as being a Mellencamp, Springstein type rocker.

I don't see Bridges as Ralph. Ralph was always one of the supporting characters of the story, and I think Bridges is way to high profile to play such a bit part. I tend to prefer an older actor for Stu. Stu was a guy who had a life well before Captain Trips, had a wife and child if I recall correctly. I don't think Jackson is old enough, and I'm not sure would be able to convey a sense of authority.

I see your point on Larry, but Ralph had an important role in the book (especially in the third section) Even though he isn't in it as much as the core cast. Still, I could see a lesser known actor in that role. I still say that Joshua Jackson would be good though. In the book, he is described as being in his mid 30's, and that is plenty old enough to have had a life before the oubreak. Besides, making him too old, such as in his 40's or something might make his relationship with Frannie kind of weird.

Ben Affleck to direct The Stand? http://comicbookmovie.com/fansites/joshw24/news/?a=48678

Great.  Now all the characters are going to have Boston accents!

Well isn't that a wicked pisser.

I'm resurrecting this thread
...

...Because I did this graphic back in April, but the original thread died before I had the chance to post the completed version.

(Hence the reference to Cuse and Lindelof of Lost, which I thought would be the dream choice back in April, but i'm sure Kloves and Yates will be good.) This is a dream casting. I'm semi-serious about Vedder but I know it ain't gonna happen.

Major hivemind (sewer-mind?) on the rest, it looks like.

Cloves and Yates passed.

Ben Affleck is the current director and a writer was assigned awhile back, though I can't remember who it is.

I've never read The Stand.  Should I?  Or wait for the film as not to be spoiled?  (I will eventually probably get around to reading it)

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Originally Posted by Ambler 

I've never read The Stand.  Should I?  Or wait for the film as not to be spoiled?  (I will eventually probably get around to reading it)

You should definitely read it. Many folks (myself included) consider it King's best work. It's not without its flaws, but it's a terrific piece of storytelling. I've read it several times, but every time I start it, someone coughing near me produces a quick knee jerk reaction.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ambler 

I've never read The Stand.  Should I?  Or wait for the film as not to be spoiled?  (I will eventually probably get around to reading it)

What The Lord of the Rings is to some people, The Stand is to me.

This movie needs to happen soon. I've said it before, but I've been waiting for ages to see a legitimate theatrical version.

What HunterTarantino said. Actually I'd put them on the same pedestal. The Stand also referenced a couple other fantasy books that are favorites of mine.

Scratch that, Flagg basically is canonically alternate-universe Sauron, anyhow.

It's split into a trilogy overseas too, I think.

I was thinking he looked like a cross between Jim Carey and Charles Manson.

Now THAT would be an inspired casting choice. Jim Carrey can DO dark and he can DO dramatic method acting.

If he were Flagg, it would be like Heath Ledger playing the Joker. not even kidding. People would look back and say "who could have thought Jim Carrey would make such an iconic villain?"

Cloves and Yates passed.

Then I reiterate the Cuse and Lindelof (of Lost) suggestion. ;-) That was made on the old thread last year; they are huge fans of The Stand.

I don't see much commonality between The Stand and Harry Potter, anyhow.

Ben Affleck is the current director and a writer was assigned awhile back, though I can't remember who it is.

WHO?!? WTF? I take it they're fobbing it off on some no-name writer. Ben Affleck? Has he done anything that would suggest he can do wide-vista epic drama or fantasy, much less horror? I know Affleck is a much better director than actor but this sounds like they're just fobbing off the material and downsizing it to one film.

If it's because Ben Affleck is a huge fan of the Stand, well, I stand by my concerns regardless.

I will reiterate again: has Peter Jackson shown he's capable of wide vista-epic drama or fantasy? Bad Taste? The Frighteners? Sure, he did Heavenly Creatures, but that was intimate drama.

I assume that was some sort of conversation back in 1998. Not that Jackson ever did any, oh wait. I'm not saying he will be any good at it, but he's got a good eye and his first two films have been great to pretty good. I'm sure he'll bring in all the best collaborators on things like this. It won't be Dune (which is kinda the opposite point).

Actually I first heard of the film version Lord of the Rings in a Harry Knowles quote on a plane home from college in '97 and I thought Peter Jackson was an inspred choice, because of his auteur reputation, his love of the source material pushing him to taxi around Hollywood and rescue the film from Miramax hell, his descriptions of what he wanted to do with the "unearthly green vistas" of New Zealand and making it hyperrealistic like a sword and sandals historical flick, and Heavenly Creatures (similar to Pan's Labyrinth in some ways, which is why I was so disappointed when Del Toro withdrew from The Hobbit -- Jackson was perfect for LOTR but he's all wrong for the Hobbit in my view, beyond ensuring visual continuity.) I actually discovered CHUD looking for reviews shortly after said film came out. So yeah, I see where you are coming from but my skepticism remains in place.

It's not that I doubt Affleck can produce a great film, I'm just wondering if he's right for the material. Has he made any comments on where he wants to take the film, like Jackson did, and his vision for it? Or pushing for two (preferably three two-hour films, in keeping with the division of the source material) as others have suggested?

Has there been another news piece on CHUD about Affleck helming The Stand? Perhaps it could tell us if he picked it because he's a huge fan of the source material and will have a say in who is writing, casting etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrTerwilliker 

...I did this graphic back in April, but the original thread died before I had the chance to post the completed version. (Hence the reference to Cuse and Lindelof of Lost, which I think would be the dream choice). I'm semi-serious about Vedder... Major hivemind on the rest, it looks like.

To clarify, the casting choices that I used for the dream poster:

Changing my vote to Jim Carrey (in a dramatic role) as Flagg.

Jeremy Renner - Stu
Timothy Olyphant - Larry
Fran - Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Jennifer Connelly - Nadine (present-day)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Nick
James Frecheville - Harold
Walton Goggins - Lloyd (yup)
Michael Caine - Glen (reprising his role in Children of Men)
Billy Bob Thornton - Ralph (or was it Tom?)

and Tim Blake Nelson as Trashcan Man

Divided into three two-hour installments 8 months apart:

1. CAPTAIN TRIPS
2. ON THE BORDER
3. THE CIRCLE CLOSES (book 3 is simply called THE STAND)

Notes:

* Colin Farrell is an interesting choice for Larry too, and if WB had taste in epic film, which I doubt anymore, they'd hire an actor to do his own music like that.

* I can kind of see Michelle Williams as Fran, but the actress should look like a recent college grad, not supermodel, and she should have long brown hair for the part.

* I could definitely see Morgan Freeman or an older black actor as Glen, however; but the only problem we haven't considered is that means there'd be TWO magical black mentors in the same movie, he he he ha ha!!

The screenwriter is David Kajganich.  The only scripts he's gotten produced so far are The Invasion and Blood Creek.  The former was re-written and the latter wasn't executed in the greatest fashion, so he's untested as far as I am concerned.  Apparently he impressed WB with the script he just turned in for a new adaptation of King's It and they've now set him loose on The Stand.

By the way, Warner Brothers apparently purchased Akiva Goldsman's script for The Dark Tower and have brought Akiva in to do another pass on his own script.  Assuming all goes well, it seems very likely that The Dark Tower will get made there.............and "supposedly" the TV portions of it might just end up on HBO.  If all this is true and pans out, we could very well have the same actor as Randall Flagg in The Stand AND The Dark Tower.  How about them apples?

Akiva Goldsman... yikes.

At least Goldsman can't screw up the ending any worse than King already did.

While I remain excited and hopeful with Affleck helming THE STAND's cinematic adaptation, I'm a bit worried at having a newer, unproven writer tackle it. Affleck's writing and directing experience can only help, but bringing the story to the screen needs a deft, skilled hand.

There's no way Affleck won't try his own hand at that script after Argo is released this fall.

If I had to make an early oscar pick, I think Argo will get a number of high profile nominations, including Best Picture. And who knows what Affleck does then.