Director Josh Boone has been making the rounds promoting this weekend release of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (Chris enjoyed it). Once the subject switched to his upcoming adaptation of THE STAND, he certainly had my attention.
Boone was hired to direct THE STAND for Warner Bros. and since then many assumed given the length of the Stephen King novel (800+ pages) that we would get more than one film out of the deal. Also, to adhere to the masses (teenagers), I assumed the post-apocalyptic horror fantasy would become something for everyone's taste and lose some of its substance in the process. Well, wrong on all fronts it seems.
Vulture spoke to Boone, and asked sabout his plans for THE STAND:
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.
He can't be messing with us right? That would just be cruel. This sounds exactly like what the novel deserves and could be huge for Warner Bros. if they go this way. That being said, even 3-hours might even seem a little short for this material, and diehard fans may become worrisome about what is being left off the screen. Oh the risks that are taken to make everyone happy; here’s hoping Boone's vision holds true.
Anyone want to wager that they break it into two movies?