Stephen King’s apocalyptic epic The Stand will get a second chance at adaptation on CBS All-Access soon, and now we know who will help bring the story to life thanks to CBS All-Access at the Television Critics Association and director Josh Boone’s Instagram account. On top of that, King himself is writing a new final chapter to the story, giving fans a new conclusion that they won’t find in the book.
The Stand tells the story of the world hit with a plague of our own creation. Captain Trips spreads across the United States and eventually around the globe, killing 99 percent of the population. Those that are left struggle to survive, rebuild, and come together in a struggle between good and evil.
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Leading the cast will be James Marsden as Stu Redman, the Texas-born everyman who sees the virus tear apart his small town of Arnette, taking him across the country to Atlanta at the CDC and then Vermont at the Stovington plague center. Marsden will help lead the show and bring along a great resume, including a stint on Westworld, 30 Rock, the original X-Men films, and the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog adaptation.
Joining Marsden is Amber Heard as Nadine Cross. The Aquaman star will take the role of Nadine Cross, the conflicted and mysterious woman who has an initial bond with members of the “good” Boulder community while hiding a connection and allegiance to the evil Randall Flagg.
Odessa Young and Henry Zaga will be the pair of fresh faces joining as another pair from the good side of the post-apocalyptic world. Young will play Frannie Goldsmith, a pregnant young woman who winds up as a romantic interest for Redman and a leading member of the Boulder community. Zaga will take on another major character as Nick Andross, the deaf and mute man who takes on the new world with the simple-minded Tom Cullen and becomes one of the leading Boulder voices later in the story.
These four are merely the first cast members to officially be announced for the show during CBS All-Access’ Television Critics Association panel. Executive Vice President of Original Content at CBS All-Access Julie McNamara made the announcement and also added that King will be writing a new “coda” to the story.
This should be exciting for fans of the original story and a hopefully positive addition to a novel that has already seen one uncut release in the past.
The Stand previously was produced as a four-part miniseries starring Gary Sinise, Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald, and Jamey Sheridan as the big baddie Randall Flagg. While this production was a success, a potential film adaptation had been in the works for a while now in “development hell.”
Matthew McConaughey had been attached as Randall Flagg during his time as the same character in the doomed adaptation of The Dark Tower, but that seems to have changed now. No actor has been announced for the King supervillain to this point.
The mini-series has no premiere date yet, but production is rumored to begin at some point in fall 2019, running through March 2020. Other names that have been rumored for roles are Whoopi Goldberg and Greg Kinnear but no official announcement has been made.
