Director Josh Boone says The Stand will be 3 hours long and rated R

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Finally, after three different directors dropped out of the THE STAND it looks like we’ve got one that is actually going to stick as THE FAULT IN OUR STARS director Josh Boone just shed some fantastic news on the upcoming movie adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel. While doing the rounds for his new flick THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, he was asked about THE STAND and what he had to say is exactly what we all wanted to hear.

"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. 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, and like, 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."

This is great news because one of the struggles with this film is finding a way to tell King’s epic story in just one film, and I think that’s part of the reason we saw so many directors leave the project. While making THE STAND one film is no doubt going to be a tall order for Josh Boone, the fact that it’s going to be an epic 3 hour R-rated version of Stephen King’s masterpiece is without a doubt the best news we could have gotten. I'm so in for this one and I can't wait to see some of the names that get attached to it.

Here's the book's synopsis:

THE STAND, originally published in 1978, is divided into three parts and launches with a pandemic that leads to the death of an estimated 99.4% of the world’s human population. The tome chronicles the cross-country odysseys undertaken by survivors who are drawn to Boulder, Colo., and Las Vegas, where a final confrontation between two camps takes place.

Aside from this news, the last time we left off with THE STAND was when we caught wind of the film’s first bit of casting. So far Nat Wolff is the only person attached to the film in an unknown role, but I’m sure we’ll be hearing much more in the casting department soon enough.

Shailene Woodley stars in THE FAULT IN OUR STARS