It is hard to imagine Stephen King’s ‘The Stand‘ as a single film so director Josh Boone (‘The Fault In Our Stars’) has found a way to fix that problem by releasing an 8-part miniseries on Showtime that will lead up to the feature film. At least that is the plan as Boone, Warner Bros. and CBS Films are talking to Showtime to make this happen. The rumor has this miniseries running its course and where it ends the movie itself would begin. More details also has Josh Boone as the writer and director of the miniseries on top of the full movie.
This is a new tact in movie making that hasn’t quite been done before. We’ve seen Marvel be successful with its shared Cinematic Universe that ties into the TV realm but never a miniseries that directly leads into a movie. This will have to strike a fine balance in story telling to allow for those who haven’t seen the miniseries to go into the movie and still get a fully enjoyable experience while those who have seen it to have an enhanced experience. It’ll be interesting to see if they can pull this off and how much of the prequel miniseries will be important details for the film.
The idea is similar to what was planned for ‘The Dark Tower‘ though word on that series is that it was meant to bridge the gaps between films and extend the stories told there. While one would think that Warner Brothers as part owners of HBO would choose that network as the go to for this miniseries, but since CBS Films has the television rights they struck the deal with Showtime.
We’ve known for quite some time that this film has been in the works and with numerous mentions of A-List actors being approached, this is going to be quite the anticipated cinematic event when it finally does happen. Last we heard, the studio had still wanted Matthew McConaughey to play Randall Flagg in the series. With McConaughey having worked in blockbusters in the past as well as on television, he seems to be an actor that would be a good fit.
What do you think of this tact for dividing ‘The Stand’ into a miniseries and a movie? How do you think they could release both without hurting the experience of those interested in just seeing the movie? Share your thoughts below!
Novel Synopsis:
When a man escapes from a biological testing facility, he sets in motion a deadly domino effect, spreading a mutated strain of the flu that will wipe out 99 percent of humanity within a few weeks. The survivors who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge–Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious “Dark Man,” who delights in chaos and violence.
Source: The Wrap
