Some five years after he first became attached to what was then planned as a feature film adaptation (first as a single movie, then as four movies), filmmaker Josh Boone’s (The Fault in Our Stars) adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand is finally moving forward, albeit as a TV series at CBS All Access.
Deadline is reporting that the streaming service has given a ten-episode order to a limited series adaptation which Boone will direct from a script he has written with Ben Cavell (SEAL Team).
“I’m excited and so very pleased that The Stand is going to have a new life on this exciting new platform,” said King. “The people involved are men and women who know exactly what they’re doing; the scripts are dynamite. The result bids to be something memorable and thrilling. I believe it will take viewers away to a world they hope will never happen.”
“I read The Stand under my bed when I was 12, and my Baptist parents burned it in our fireplace upon discovery,” added Boone. “Incensed, I stole my Dad’s FedEx account number and mailed King a letter professing my love for his work. Several weeks later, I came home to find a box had arrived from Maine, and inside were several books, each inscribed with a beautiful note from god himself, who encouraged me in my writing and thanked me for being a fan. My parents, genuinely moved by King’s kindness and generosity, lifted the ban on his books that very day. I wrote King a cameo as himself in my first film and have been working to bring The Stand to the screen for five years. I’ve found incredible partners in CBS All Access and Ben Cavell. Together with Stephen King, Owen King, my longtime producing partners Knate Lee and Jill Killington, we plan to bring you the ultimate version of King’s masterwork.”
“With over 400 million books sold around the world, Stephen King is one of our greatest living authors and The Stand is widely considered the crown jewel of his work. Millions of fans have been waiting for a modern interpretation that delivers on its depth, scope and ambition,” said Julie McNamara, EVP, Original Content, CBS All Access. “We are thrilled to be working with Stephen, Josh, Ben and a dedicated team working passionately to bring this brilliant material to life.”
The Stand tells the story of a world decimated by a plague, with the survivors finding themselves drawn to one of two people – the 108-year-old Mother Abagail, and the demonic Randall Flagg. The book was previously adapted as a four-part miniseries by Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers, Bag of Bones) back in 1994.
