HitFix has a huge exclusive, reporting that Steve Kloves and David Yates, the team responsible for much of what made the Potter films great (Kloves wrote the screenplay for every film but Order of the Phoenix, Yates directed that film and each one since) are headlining the adaptation of Stephen King’s seminal work, The Stand.
When you look at the sheer magnitude and scope of those Potter films, and how faithfully (although you can’t please everyone) those adaptations served their glue and paper-bound masters, it’s probably the best news imaginable that these guys will be behind what many consider King’s best work. The recent bad news (or good, depending on who you are) regarding The Dark Tower is at least temporarily forgotten since we now know, barring any hiccups, we can look forward to a most-likely amazing adaptation. Even better is the fact that this will most likely be several films, freeing us from the worry of everything being crammed into two and a half hours.
But what about casting? Entertainment Weekly proposed an interesting wish-list earlier this year, mostly nailing it with names like Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. There are several suggestions that’ll leave you a bit slack-jawed, like Robert Pattinson for Trashcan Man. That they even printed that is unforgivable. The popular opinion around the interwebs, though, is Walt Goggins (Justified, The Shield), which I wholeheartedly agree with. The most important character for me, at least initially, is Randall Flagg. Jamey Sheridan absolutely nailed it in the TV mini-series (which is really good, by the way). For the film(s), The Walkin’ Dude should be someone like Michael Fassbender, or better yet? Jason Isaacs. I could totally see that, especially with the Potter history. But what do you guys think?
7 comments
Nice to know there’s someone else who like the tv mini-series as well.
Contrary to widespread belief- which states that this is King’s masterpiece and just about everyone’s favorite work of his- The Stand is not near being my favorite of his books, but this comes as really neat news, indeed. Stu Redman, who’d come off, very likely, as the main character out of the whole ensemble is supposed to be a reliable, honest everyman so they should be going for someone who has the “aw-shucks”, down-to-earth bit pat down yet is handsome enough to get Fran to spread them for him. I’m quite sure there are a few out there but for my life I can’t think of anyone right now. You know who’d kill as Harold, though? Christopher Mintz-Plasse. They can make him fat in a number of ways.
Glad you mentioned Sheridan’s awesome job as the Walkin’ Dude. You need someone with charisma who can also be creepy in that role.
Paul Dano for Harold Lauder.
I made a fake “opening credit” sequence in film school and that was one of my casting ideas at the time.
Well, I guess if WB picks up Howard’s Dark Tower epic for some ungodly reason…………….we should at least end up with the same actor playing Flagg in it. I’m super excited for this, which is something that couldn’t be said of the idea of Goldsman & Howard butchery The Dark Tower.
The Stand as a multi-film epic from David Yates and Steve Kloves? Yes please!
Doesn’t the stand have a shocking Deux Ex Machina at the end, classic Stephen King shit ending? I remember a giant hand coming from nowhere to fix everything in the TV series? Tell me that was a bad adaptation!
No, that was in the novel too. Most Stephen Kings books have that flaw, except for a handful of his really outstanding earlier stuff. No Deux Ex Machina plot devices in Salem’s Lot (great vampire novel), The Shining, The Dead Zone, Misery and Pet Semetary. He also has some great short story collections, that remain among his best work.
His ‘It’ novel though, along with Tommyknockers, and much else after, into the ’90’s and the 2000’s, yeah, huge plot contrivance endings all over the place.
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