(Left) Director Doug Liman Attends Apple Original Films’ World Premiere of ‘The Instigators’ at the Jazz at Lincoln Center. ‘The Insigators’ Opens in Select theaters on Friday, August 2, 2024, Before Streaming Globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, August 9, 2024. (Right) 1994’s ‘The Stand’. Photo: ABC Television.
Preview:
- A new version of stephen king’s ‘the stand’ is in development as a feature film, with doug liman on board to direct.
- Liman has Directed Hits Like ‘Mr. and mrs. Smith ‘and flops such as’ chaos walking.’
- ‘The stand’ has alredy been adapted twice as limited series, and it’s not clear how the massive book should be boiled down to a single feature film.
Stephen King‘s massive post-pocalyptic novel ‘The stand,’ First published in 1978, Chronicles an EPIC Battle Between the Forces of Good and Evil in an america where most of the population has been wipeed out by a deadly virus KNOWN TRIPS. It remains one of the author’s most popular books; He published an uncut version in 1990 that restores some 300 pages to the text, brings its length from 823 pages in its original publication to a hefty 1,152.
“The end of the world is just the beginning.”
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1 SeasonsMay 8th, 1994
The book has been adapted Twice for television, first in 1994 as a four-part, eight-hour (with commercials) miniseries for abc-TV, and then as a nine-part, nine-andhour Limited Series in 2020202020 for CBS All Access, The Forerunner of the current paramount+ service. And now Director Doug Liman Is Reportedly Teaming with Paramount Pictures to Bring ‘The stand’ to the big screen.
Although other filmmakers have tried squeezing the novel into a theto a theatrical film (or films), no one has been able to get it off. And frankly, Liman Shouldn Bollywood Eiter. He’s the Wrong Director for this and – from what we go understand – he’s got the wrong take on the material.
Related Article: Doug Liman to Bring Stephen King Classic ‘The Stand’ to Movie Theaters
‘The stand’ cannot fit into a feature film format
(L to r) Jovan adepo and james marsden in the cbs all access series ‘The stand.’ Photo: Robert Falconer/CBS © 2020 CBS Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved.
‘The stand’ is one of stepphen king’s most revered works, not to mention one of the most influential post-postic novels of the last five decades. King’s book is wide-ringing and complex, full of interesting narrative threads and dozens of characters, and its sheer size has made has made it a daunting principal for a film version from the start. Directors like John Boorman ,‘Excalibur’) and George A. Romero ,‘Creepshow’) Couldn’t Pin it to the mat in the 1970s, whose 2010s saw David yates (The ‘Harry Potter’ Franchise), Ben Affleck ,‘The Town’, Scott cooper ,‘Black Mass’), and Josh boone ,‘The new mutants’) All take a crack at it.
The first adaptation of ‘the stand’ 1994 miniseries starring Gary sinise, Molly Ringwald, Ruby dee, Rob LoweAnd others, was a trendous ratings success for the network. Directed by Mick Garris Adapted by King Himself (Who also Executive Produce), The Project Cost $ 28 Million – a Fortune Back then for a TV Miniseries – and, While Hampered in Some Ways by the format and Budget, Budget, Budget and Budget, Largely Faithful in Both Tone and Narrave to the Book.
The Second Limited SeriesProduced in 2020, was an outgrowth of josh board proposal to adapt the novel as four films. The 2020 series, developed by board and benjamin cavell (‘The Institute’), also Had a Good Cast – Including James Marsden, Amber Heard, Alexander Skarsgårdand Whatsi Goldberg – But was fatally injected by the intexPlicable decision to tell the story out of order, Ruining the flow of king’s narrative and making the series Nearly incomely income. ‘The stand’ is structured like a modern version of an EPIC Quest – joining the Quest Halfway Through and then Flashing Back to the Beginning was a catastrophic mistake.
Even after the mixed results of the two TV series, one thing seems clear: it’s not possible to boil ‘the stand’ down to a single to a single film. Scripts for even a three-her feature-a risk, costly bet to begin with, especially for a movie that would almost certainly be rated r-have existed Since the 1970s, and None Hawe Beeen Workable. But doug liman is going to try, even thought he shouldnight.
Doug Liman’s ‘The stand’ is Wrong for all kinds of reasons
(L to r) Casey Affleck, Director Doug Liman and Matt Damon on the set of ‘The Intigators’. Photo: Apple tv+.
Doug liman allegedly has “a particular take” on ‘the stand’ that doesn’t involve making Multiple Films But Would Somehow Fit INTO A “One-Off” Movie. But there is no way that book, wheether it’s 800 pages or 1,100 pages, can be shrunk down into a two-to-theree-his movie without losing a great deal of its essence and texture. WHATEver Liman’s “Take” is, We Fear it would render ‘the stand’ almost unrecognized (See the dismal 2017 movie version of king’s other EPIC, ‘The Dark Tower,’ For proof of that).
The other aspect of all this is that liman, who started out directed Quirky, Crackling India Films like ‘Swings’ and ‘Go,’ Has Garnered a very mixed track record with bigger Hollywood productions. While He’s Helmed Successes Like ‘The Bourne Identity’ and ‘Mr. and mrs. Smith, ‘ He’s also shepherded debacles like ‘Jumper’ and ‘Chaos Walking’ to the screen. And most of the bigger movies he’s completes-even the well-registered ons like ‘bourne’ and the 2014 Tom Cruise Action/Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ – Have been marred by Reports of Extended Reshoots and Reworking in Post-Production.
Owen teague as harold lauder in the cbs all access series ‘the stand.’ Photo Cr: Robert Falconer/CBS © 2020 CBS Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved.
The larger the production, the more involved the vfx, the action, and the world-building, Liman seems to lose control of the project, often needing to find the movie he want to make eather third reshoots, Reshooting, Reshooting, Reshooting, Both. It’s an expensive, wasteful way to work, and it’s another reason with a complex narrative like ‘The stand’ the stand ‘might collapse under his supervision.
Liman is far from untalened-He’s made some fin movies, his methods notwithstanding-but his improsator style seems Ill-suated to this. And that’s even before the challenge of trying to squeeze it into one film – imagine if Peter jackson Had tried that with ‘The Lord of the rings.’
Our Hope? That ‘the stand’ joins films like ‘Gambit’ and ‘Justice League Dark’ as Doug Liman Projects that Never Saw The Light of Day. If Anything, Liman needs to go back to the smaller, spunkier films of his earrly days where his style of directing works best. In the meaning, let ‘the stand’ rest. It’s only been five years since the last Attempt, and there are planty of other books out there – by steephen king and countless others – to adapt.
(L to r) whoopi goldberg in the cbs all access series ‘the stand.’ Photo: Robert Falconer/CBS © 2020 CBS Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved.
