God, there is just no way to post a Stand article without using “take a stand” in some stupid way. So, Deadline is reporting that Ben Affleck is in the lead to direct the mega-budget adaptation of Stephen King’s epic The Stand. This is good news for the film since anyone with any taste knows that Affleck has proven himself to be a director of real promise in the last few years. There is also rumors of him taking a role in the film, like the role of Stu Redman, but we’ll see how this all plays out. The whole thing is being reported as a done deal, but I wouldn’t start buying up all the stock in Affleck Inc just yet, these things have a way of changing suddenly.
For me, The Stand is easily King’s most wildly overrated work, so I would like to see a director of real vision take a crack at this and change what I perceive to be egregious story flaws. I know I’m in a minority here but I have never found the plodding storyline, the black and white morality and the ludicrous deux-ex machina ending of The Stand to be satisfying. Oh, and “The Walking Dude”? C’mon people. He’s about as scary as Don Dokken. But I will be interested if this thing is given a serious overhaul, and Affleck behind the director’s chair is a step in the right direction.