M-O-O-N spells “Damn, we need a new director.”
Scott Cooper was the second director attached to a big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand. The first choice was Ben Affleck but he got dragged into the Batcave and the duties were then given to Cooper, director of Crazy Heart and Out Of The Furnace. Hey, that’s a good choice Warner Bros.
Was a good choice. The Wrap says that Cooper is no longer attached to direct the massive post-apocalyptic project. The exit is due to creative differences and no new film maker has been selected. So now the film returns to development limbo and thousands of Stephen King fans sigh, shake our heads and wonder when we’ll get a proper take on the greatest American horror novel ever written.
Cooper’s name was a welcome addition. He’s not a studio hack and is interested in creating realistic, dense, star-studded films. The choice showed that WB wanted something that wasn’t just a blockbuster. But with Cooper taking off because of creative differences, you have to wonder if maybe that is what they want. Who the studio picks next will say an awful lot about what type of vision they have for the film(s).
So The Stand is once again director-less. Back to the drawing board. Now it’s time to dreamcast yet again. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Walton Goggins as Lloyd Henreid, Chris Evans as Stu Redman and Cillian Murphy as the Trash Can Man. Who are your choices?