Early this year, CBS All Access gave a 10-episode series order to a new adaptation of Stephen King‘s 1978 novel “The Stand,” with Josh Boone (who at one point was going to adapt the post apocalyptic novel as a feature film) on board to co-write the series and also to direct. Of course, King’s novel was first turned into a television mini-series back in 1994, with Mick Garris in the director’s chair for that adaptation. And wouldn’t ya know it, today marks the original adaptation’s 25th anniversary, celebrated on this week’s episode of Post Mortem.
The very special 25th anniversary tribute episode of Mick Garris’ podcast features an hour-long interview with Stephen King, wherein King and Garris reflect on the original adaptation of the novel. King also touches upon the upcoming adaptation, expressing why he’s excited for it.
“I like Josh Boone’s work, I actually worked with him on his first feature,” King told Garris. “And then he did The Fault in Our Stars, which I thought showed his grasp of the medium. And I like him a lot. I like his reach… his ambition for [The Stand]. Really the thing I’m most excited about is, first of all, we’ve got two more hours to tell the story. And second, we’re free of all those things that held us back with [the original mini-series]. Not only is the budget bigger… we’re free… in terms of language, in terms of violence… in a way that we weren’t with the original.”
“CBS All Access would really like this to work,” King added. “And they’ve put a lot of muscle behind it. So I’m hopeful. But it’s early days yet… so. The casting isn’t complete. My son Owen has written some of the scripts, and they’re terrific. So. It’s good.”
The series will bring to life King’s vision of a world decimated by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil. The fate of mankind rests on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abagail and a handful of survivors. Their worst nightmares are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the Dark Man.
