“Edge of Tomorrow,” “The Bourne Identity” and “Road House” filmmaker Doug Liman is set to direct and produce a new feature film version of Stephen King’s iconic 1978 novel “The Stand” for Paramount Pictures.
The project will now head to writers to pen an adaptation of what is King’s longest single novel, clocking in at 1152 pages. Tyler Thompson (“American Made”) will produce.
Intriguingly, Liman and the studio’s take on the property is said to be a one-off feature – not a two or three parter – which suggests a massive reduction in scope and scale of the novel.
The story follows an epic battle between good and evil after the American population is all but wiped out by a deadly virus, with the narrative focusing on a group of survivors who fight against an Antichrist-like figure named Randall Flagg.
The property has previously been adapted to screen twice before – first as a famed 1994 mini-series directed by Mick Garris which starred the likes of Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Jamey Sheridan, Rob Lowe, Ruby Dee, Miguel Ferrer and Ed Harris. That version scored massive ratings and good reviews, generally considered one of the best mini-series adaptation of a King work alongside “IT” and “Salem’s Lot”.
More recently it was done as a CBS All Access (now Paramount+) series starring James Marsden, Alexander Skarsgård, Whoopi Goldberg, Amber Heard, Ezra Miller, Nat Wolff, Hamish Linklater, JK Simmons and Greg Kinnear. That version landed mixed reviews and no ratings information was released.
Several attempts at a film version have been made over the years to little effect, with the likes of George A. Romero, David Yates and Ben Affleck trying to have a go.
Liman is currently working on underwater supernatural thriller “Deeper” starring Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas.
Source: THR
