Warner Bros has chosen Ben Affleck to adapt and direct The Stand, Stephen King’s apocalyptic mammoth book. Affleck has become a cornerstone director for the studio, but this would be his greatest challenge yet.This is good for Ben, but can he pull off one of Stephen King's ambitious works to date? what do you think?
This makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons. First, "The Stand" remains this tantalizing almost for a lot of fans of the book. The Mick Garris version for television is a very faithful telling, but there's something wild and terrifying about the book that television standards and practices just didn't make room for, a scope to the world of the book that still hasn't been captured. Kloves is a smart writer and given two (or possibly even three) movies to tell the story, he can let it live and breathe, and hopefully nobody's going to try to push this to a PG-13. "The Stand," as originally written, was dark and powerful and disturbing, and if you're not going to go further than television has allowed in the past, there seems little reason to revisit the material.I wonder this will turn out?
Yates had mentioned his involvement with "The Stand" when he was doing press for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2," but he was still just thinking about it at the time. Word is that the deals are now coming together quickly, and that this is a priority project for the studio and for Vertigo Pictures, which will produce. After all, with "Potter" concluded, why not put the same team back to work on something that will cover several films? It's darker and more adult fare, but it's a book that has sold millions and millions of copies over the years, one of the best known things King ever wrote.
At the time, though, he didn't mention that this was a reunion. If this comes together quickly, this could be several huge release dates for Warner Bros., and a real treat for King fans. We'll have more on this as details are finalized, but for now, count on an official announcement soon.
Warner Bros. has plans to adapt Stephen King's 1978 novel "The Stand" for the big screen, says a story at The Hollywood Reporter.
Previously adapated as a television miniseries in 1994, "The Stand" tells the story of a full-scale apocalypse, driven by the accidental release of a biological weapon and the ensuing struggle of good versus evil carried out by the world's final survivors.
The original article notes that discussion of the adaptation is at very early stage and that it's still unclear whether the text would be adapted as just a single film. The original version of the book is famously massive, checking in at 823 (for the 1978 edition) and 1,141 in a "complete and uncut" edition released in 1990.
The world's governments raced to avoid both a pandemic and global hysteria Sunday as more possible swine flu cases surfaced from Canada to New Zealand and the United States declared a public health emergency. "It's not a time to panic," the White House said.
Late Sunday, Mexico's health secretary raised the number of suspected deaths in that country to 103, and the number of cases to more than 1,600. Mexico, the outbreak's epicenter, canceled some church services and closed markets, restaurants and movie theaters. A televised variety show filled its seats with cardboard cutouts. Few people ventured onto the streets, and some wore face masks.
Canada confirmed cases in six people, including some students who _ like some New York City spring-breakers _ got mildly ill in Mexico. Countries across Asia promised to quarantine feverish travelers returning from flu-affected areas.
The U.S. declared the health emergency so it could ship roughly 12 million doses of flu-fighting medications from a federal stockpile to states in case they eventually need them _ although, with 20 confirmed cases of people recovering easily, they don't appear to for now.
Make no mistake: There is not a global pandemic _ at least not yet. It's not clear how many people truly have this particular strain, or why all countries but Mexico are seeing mild disease. Nor is it clear if the new virus spreads easily, one milestone that distinguishes a bad flu from a global crisis. But waiting to take protective steps until after a pandemic is declared would be too late.
