With his roles in David Fincher‘s GONE GIRL and now Zack Snyder‘s MAN OF STEEL sequel as Batman, Ben Affleck is going to have to give up on some other projects he has been developing. The one he has been working on the longest but has made the least progress is an adaptation of Stephen King‘s epic novel THE STAND. With Affleck out of contention, Warner Bros. has been looking for a replacement helmer and they may have found their man in Scott Cooper.
Cooper directed the Jeff Bridges musical drama CRAZY HEART and has the Christian Bale/Woody Harrelson thriller OUT OF THE FURNACE opening soon. Cooper’s name may not carry the same brand recognition as Affleck, but he is adept at getting good performances out of his casts. There is no word on whether a solid production date is being considered or if THE STAND is still early in development.
For those unfamiliar with the novel, here is a recap:
The book is a story of good vs. evil after a virus wipes out most of the American population. It features dozens of characters (including such memorable one as the Trashcan Man and Mother Abigail) and overlapping story lines running over many years as it tells a group of survivors fighting the Antichrist-like Randall Flagg.
THE STAND has been previously adapted as a TV miniseries starring Rob Lowe, Gary Sinise, and Molly Ringwald. That version was very good but didn’t cover everything from the over 1000 page novel. Stephen King gave his blessing for a recent comic book adaptation that has been very well received. It is unknown at this point if King will have any involvement with the film as he does with the UNDER THE DOME television series. We don’t even know if Affleck’s scripts will be kept if Cooper comes on board.
I am a huge Stephen King fan and was pumped to have a director like Affleck bring THE STAND to life. While I may not be as high on Cooper, he is definitely a better choice than a lot of directors out there. I will remain neutral on this until more news is revealed.