AlthoughThe Standis one of the best Stephen King novels ever, it is also a book that seems almost impossible to adapt into a feature film. Out ofStephen King’s 66 books, there are some that belong on the big screen, some that were made for TV, and some that don’t seem all that well suited to any screen adaptation.
WhileKing’s best sci-fi novelbecame a superb thriller movie in the ‘80s, it is easy to see the story ofThe Dead Zonealso working as a movie. In contrast, darker King stories like “Survivor Type” and “The Library Policeman” are so boundary-pushing that, while they work well on the page, it is tough to imagine them succeeding as movies or shows.
Then there are the books that prove problematic solely because of King’s style. The author loves a lengthy plot with plenty of digressions and supporting characters, meaning some of his books are just too sprawling in nature to work as feature films. This might explain why 2017’sItwas acclaimed, but its 2019 sequelIt: Chapter 2was critically slammed.
The Stand Is Stephen King’s Longest Book To Date
King’s Post-Apocalyptic Novel Clocks In At Over 1000 Pages
IfIt’s story was too ambitious, layered, and messily complex to work as two movies, readers could be certain that King’s biggest book ever shares this problem. 1978’sThe Standis ahorror book everyone should read once, but it is also King’s longest novel to date and one of his most ambitious in terms of just how many main characters it boasts.
The Standfollows a huge group of characters as they navigate a future America that has been devastated by a deadly pandemic, with the book’s focus moving between more than a dozen main characters. Although the two groups can eventually be split pretty cleanly into good and evil characters, the most complex figures in the cast take a while to choose their side.
On the side of good is Mother Abigail, a mystic and soothsayer who leads a group of survivors trying to build a new, utopian community. On the side of evil, readers are introduced to one ofStephen King’s worst villains ever, Randall Flagg. This demonic figure leads a band of scavengers in Las Vegas who are plotting the end of days.
The Stand’s Length Makes It A Challenge To Adapt As A Movie
The Stand Has Never Been Adapted to the Big Screen Before
Although it is never quite clear whether Flagg himself is the Antichrist, he certainly plays an equivalent role in this Biblical battle between good and evil. If the synopsis didn’t already make this clear,The Standis a book with epic ambitions, and its sprawling blend of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and character drama owes an obvious debt to J. R. R. Tolkien’sLord of the Ringstrilogy.
While some readers might be put off by the novel’s sheer length, fans of the writer are likely to find the sheer depth ofThe Stand’s story uniquely immersive.
This makes for an incredible read, asThe Standsees King at his most daring and unencumbered. While some readers might be put off by the novel’s sheer length, fans of the writer are likely to find the sheer depth ofThe Stand’s story uniquely immersive. The problem arises when creators try to bring this story to life on-screen.
While2020’sThe Standminiseriesand 1994’s earlier adaptation of the same name both have their high points, neither of these shows was quite able to capture the sheer breadth of the author’s vision. The 1994 show’s special effects limitations ensure that the show isn’t a classic on the level of the same year’s King adaptationThe Shawshank Redemption.
Meanwhile, 2020’sThe Standhad bigger problems, ranging from terrible miscasting to the bizarre, unfortunate choice to tell the story out of chronological order. This made an already elaborate storyline utterly impenetrable for viewers unfamiliar with the book, but2020’s take onThe Standthen made matters even worse by also altering many of the story’s details.
Doug Liman’s Upcoming The Stand Adaptation Will Need To Overcome This Obstacle
The Stand’s Story Will Need to be Massively Cut Down For a Movie
Considering how troubled the screen history of the novel has been in its last two adaptations, it would be no surprise if Hollywood steered clear ofThe Standfor the foreseeable future. However, instead,Deadlinerecently reported thatMr and Mrs. Smithdirector Doug Liman is turning Stephen King’s longest novel into a movie in the near future.
The Stand2020 is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Considering the book has already been adapted into two flawed shows, and even they missed out on loads of subplots due to their relative brevity,The Stand’s movie adaptation seems like a bad idea. Liman has an eye for action and, from 1999’s underratedGoto 2001’sThe Bourne Identity, he has repeatedly proven himself to be a stellar filmmaker.
The plot is complex, the violence has the potential to be off-putting, and the genre of the story is hard to place.
However,The Standblends thenastiest horror of King’s darkest storieswith a story that boasts over a dozen lead characters. The plot is complex, the violence has the potential to be off-putting, and the genre of the story is hard to place. A post-apocalyptic sci-fi story, a dark horror, and an epic fantasy,The Standis many stories all at once.
The Stand’s earlier canceled movie adaptation highlights this problem, as Ben Affleck was attached to direct an earlier feature-length version of the book before Liman took a stab at it. Affleck isn’t a filmmaker lacking in vision or technical prowess, but he eventually left the project. This version went on to become the 2020 miniseries, which was a critical failure.
The Stand Might Be Better Suited For Television
The Novel Has Been Made Into Two Miniseries
The Standcould repeat King’s worst adaptation mistake by shortening the source material so much that readers can’t follow the byzantine story.2017’sThe Dark Towermovietruncated the plot of King’s book series of the same name with disastrous results. The resulting movie was a critical and commercial flop despite the presence of Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba.
Liman will also produceThe Standwith Tyler Thompson, with whom he collaborated on 2017’sAmerican Made.
WhileThe Standcould arguably benefit from some trimming, that’s not what 2017’sThe Dark Towerproved. The fact that McConaughey played Randall Flagg, a villain who is as iconic as Pennywise on the page, proves that King’s more complex and ambitious stories don’t always translate well to the big screen.
When two miniseries were unable to cut down the storyline of the book enough to succeed, it is tough to see how an even shorter movie would pull this off.
All of this makes the prospect of a movie adaptation ofThe Standworrying. When two miniseries were unable to cut down the storyline of the book enough to succeed, it is tough to see how an even shorter movie would pull this off. Still,The Standmay defy expectations and become a classic Stephen King adaptation.
