There has been talk for some time about doing a reboot of Stephen King’s ‘The Stand’ and currently tapped to direct it is Josh Boone (‘Stuck in Love’,’The Fault in Our Stars’) who recently had time to talk about his vision for the film.

There are two key non-spoilery points that he brings up when explaining what he wants to do that has me not only excited for the film, but suddenly eager to see what he does for the first time! Ever since Ben Affleck left the helmer’s chair to work on another movie, finding a replacement has had its own issues. First it jumped to Scott Cooper (‘Crazy Heart’, ‘Out of the Furnace’) who left the production when it didn’t get an R rating approval from the studio and later Boone was tapped to direct the film.

When speaking about his approach to filming ‘The Stand’, Boone seems to agree with Cooper on that the movie should be rated R:

“We’re gonna do one, three-hour, R-rated version with an amazing A-list cast across the board. Every single one of those characters will be somebody you recognize and somebody you relate to. And it’s gonna be awesome.”

So clearly this will be a big budget from the cast alone, but not only are we getting an R-Rated movie after all (which honestly the film needs to be) but we’re getting 3 hours! I was still hoping  the film would be split into a trilogy as the book has enough content for it, but 3 hours for one movie?!  I’m completely willing to sit in a theater for that to watch one of my favorite works by Stephen King. None of the casting yet has been announced aside from Nat Wolff who he’s worked with on both of his previous films.

Boone not only is getting a big budget blockbuster project, but the following words really truly stand out to show this is a passion project for him.

“I’m really excited. It’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever got to do in my entire life. If 12-year-old me had ever known that one day I’d be doing this, to even just go back and look at that kid, I’d be like, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing!’ It’s just crazy. I’ve met so many actors over the years… when I met Stephen King, I hugged him with tears in my eyes. He meant that much to me when I was young. I still say everything I learned about writing I learned from Stephen King. I don’t read screenplays. I don’t read screenplay how-to books. It’s always just establish the character. Establish the character.”

From the sound of it, I think we’re going to get something special here.

As I mentinoed above, this is one of my favorite works by King. Just hearing the announcement that the movie will be longer and is getting the rating it needs to translate properly? I’m extremely excited!

Are you looking forward to a new take on ‘The Stand’? What do you think about the few details we’ve been given so far? 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: Dread Central