Between The Stand, It, and The Dark Tower, there are no shortage of major Stephen King adaptations on the way. While It has recently experienced some trouble, and The Dark Tower is only just getting beyond its production troubles at Sony, The Stand is moving forward fast and is set to do something unprecedented.
Last fall director Josh Boone revealed that his single R-rated version of The Stand had been expanded to four movies. That's how much Warner Bros. loved his take on King's massive tome, which chronicles a battle between good and evil in the wake of a virus that kills most of the human population. Boone's plans have now changed, though, as it's back to being a single feature film, but it will be preceded by an 8-part miniseries to air on Showtime. This could actually work out better as it will allow for a greater exploration of the world King created, while offering plenty of chances for A-list stars to join the ensemble, just like with HBO's True Detective. Coincidentally, Matthew McConaughey is reportedly being sought for the key villain role of Randall Flagg.
This is a risky undertaking but it could pay off huge for Warner Bros. The hope is to begin filming in early 2016. [TheWrap]
