"The Stand" is going to be a movie. Again, I mean.
Stephen King's post-apocalyptic opus is getting the big screen treatment from Warner Bros and CBS Films, The Hollywood Reporter reveals. The novel was already the subject of a six-hour miniseries -- which, it should be noted, still made liberal changes to the original text -- but WB and CBS think they can get the job done in two hours. Here's my tip for them: hire Frank Darabont. The rest will work itself out naturally.
The studios still need to sit down and chat with potential writers and directors, so there's plenty of time to go out and check out the 1100+ page "uncut" version of the book. In celebration of the announcement of "The Stand," let's look back on some of the best film adaptations of King's work. Just one note: horror flicks only here. I had to figure out some way to exclude "The Shawshank Redemption," right?
"The Shining"
Might as well start at the top. "The Shining" is one of the scariest movies out there, period. Jack Nicholson is terrific, and terrifying. Two men engage in unspeakable acts and one of them wears a bear costume. Blood flooding the hallways. The red-headed twins. Oh those unsettling little monsters. I hate them.
"Salem's Lot"
This one's for you "Twilight" fans: Stephen King + vampires. Need you hear anymore? This is one blood-sucker story that doesn't spider-monkey around though. Forget about your romance and your emo vegetarian vamps. If one of these suckers appears at your window, you run fast and you run far. It won't help, but at least you'll go down fighting.
"Pet Sematary"
"Pet Sematary" is an oddball in the King film library. In many ways, it is a goofy, B-grade horror film. It's also spooky as hell. Especially the reincarnation of little Gage. Poor Gage. You'll probably laugh at several (unintended) points during the movie, but when it's all over and you're trying to fall asleep in the dark of night... you won't.
"Cujo"
King is great at telling ghost stories, but "Cujo" isn't that. This is real-life horror. The lovable family dog, a great, big Saint Bernard, goes rabid. Mother and son end up trapped in a broken-down car on a sweltering hot day while the beast paces outside, killing anyone who gets close. It's a raw film, gritty and real. That's because it actually could be, which makes every moment all the more terrifying.
"Misery"
Another scenario potentially pulled from real-life: a famed horror author runs into a super-fan while out traveling in the boonies, a nurse. Actually, he runs into a snow drift in his car and injures himself. Said super-fan -- played by Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her performance -- brings him back to her home and treats his injuries. Things take a dark turn when he lets her read his new book, which it turns out is meant to be the last in a series. A dark, torturous turn, with a sledgehammer.
Are you excited for "The Stand?" How do you think the movie should be approached? Give us your feedback in the comments section and on Twitter!
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