(Image: Paramount Pictures, Wikipedia)
The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed today that Stephen King's longest novel, the 1978 epic "The Stand," is set for a third screen adaptation. Paramount Pictures will produce and distribute the film, with Doug Liman (pictured below), the acclaimed director of hits like "The Bourne Identity" and "Edge of Tomorrow," confirmed to helm the project. While Paramount has not yet officially hired a writer, the search is currently underway.
Although "The Stand" has been adapted into two miniseries, one in 1994 and another in 2020, this new version will be a single feature film, not a series split from the thousand-plus-page (uncut) novel. Despite its success on the small screen, the book's journey to a theatrical release has been notoriously difficult. Hollywood has been attempting to adapt it into a movie intermittently since the 1980s, without success.
(Image: pinterest)
Over the past four decades, directors who have tried to tackle "The Stand" include the "Godfather of the Dead" George A. Romero, "Harry Potter" series director David Yates, "Black Mass" helmer Scott Cooper, and even Ben Affleck, all of whom were ultimately unsuccessful.
Interestingly, both the 1994 and 2020 miniseries were originally intended to be feature films before pivoting to television. The 2020 version was especially ambitious, with co-creator and "The New Mutants" director Josh Boone initially planning to adapt the massive novel into a four-part film series. It remains to be seen if Liman, the latest to take up the challenge, will succeed. Sources report that both he and Paramount have already formed a clear and unique vision for the film.