HitFix has a huge exclusive, reporting that Steve Kloves and David Yates, the team responsible for much of what made the Potter films great (Kloves wrote the screenplay for every film but Order of the Phoenix, Yates directed that film and each one since) are headlining the adaptation of Stephen King’s seminal work, The Stand.
When you look at the sheer magnitude and scope of those Potter films, and how faithfully (although you can’t please everyone) those adaptations served their glue and paper-bound masters, it’s probably the best news imaginable that these guys will be behind what many consider King’s best work. The recent bad news (or good, depending on who you are) regarding The Dark Tower is at least temporarily forgotten since we now know, barring any hiccups, we can look forward to a most-likely amazing adaptation. Even better is the fact that this will most likely be several films, freeing us from the worry of everything being crammed into two and a half hours.
But what about casting? Entertainment Weekly proposed an interesting wish-list earlier this year, mostly nailing it with names like Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. There are several suggestions that’ll leave you a bit slack-jawed, like Robert Pattinson for Trashcan Man. That they even printed that is unforgivable. The popular opinion around the interwebs, though, is Walt Goggins (Justified, The Shield), which I wholeheartedly agree with. The most important character for me, at least initially, is Randall Flagg. Jamey Sheridan absolutely nailed it in the TV mini-series (which is really good, by the way). For the film(s), The Walkin’ Dude should be someone like Michael Fassbender, or better yet? Jason Isaacs. I could totally see that, especially with the Potter history. But what do you guys think?
