The Stand: 8 Quick Things We Know About The Stephen King Miniseries

Odessa Young as Frannie Goldsmith in The Stand

Following the blockbuster success of Andy Muschietti’s IT, Stephen King adaptations have become as plentiful as ever in Hollywood, and there is no question that one of the most anticipated is the upcoming miniseries version of The Stand. While we don’t know precisely when the feature is going to premiere just yet, we are waiting with baited breath for the latest news regarding the release.

That in mind, we’ve created a bit of a habit recently tracking what we do and do not know about the show, and it’s in aid of organizing the former that we’ve created this feature. Without getting into any long-winded explanations, stories, or histories, here are eight quick things to know about the new version of The Stand prior to its release:

Josh Boone with Nat Wolff making The Fault In Our Stars

Josh Boone Is The Primary Filmmaker Behind The Project

In recent years Josh Boone has become best known as the director of the New Mutants movie that keeps getting pushed back (finally hitting theaters on August 28th!), but it may not be too long until audiences recognize him as the lead brain behind the new adaptation of The Stand. Boone's previous credits other than the X-Men movie include the 2012 romantic dramedy Stuck In Love and the 2014 drama The Fault In Our Stars, but he is professed to be a massive Stephen King fan, which goes a long way in explaining why he’s hung with the project for so long…

crow in THe Stand 1994 miniseries

The Stand Miniseries Started As A Feature Film Adaptation Back In 2014

The Stand was previously adapted as a 1994 miniseries that aired in four hour-long parts, and it was almost exactly a decade after it aired that Warner Bros. Pictures and CBS Films partnered to produce what was expected to be a feature-length adaptation of the Stephen King book, with Josh Boone hired as a director. Recognizing the incredible scope of the source material, that plan flipped in March 2018 when it was announced that Boone’s vision would be made as a 10-episode miniseries instead.

Jovan Adepo and Heather Graham walk the streets of New York In the stand

Filming Completed Just Before The Pandemic Was Classified And Stay-At-Home Orders Were Put In Place

The fact that we are getting a new adaptation of The Stand while also dealing with an on-going deadly global pandemic is an irony lost on nobody – but what’s fortunate is that it doesn’t appear that the miniseries will be seriously delayed because of COVID-19. Having started filming in August 2019, principal photography wrapped in early March, which was also when the novel Coronavirus was officially classified as a pandemic.

Marilyn Manson Beautiful People

Marilyn Manson Has Recorded A Cover Of A Classic Rock Song For The Show

There has been a lot of speculation about whether or not Marilyn Manson will be playing The Trashcan Man in The Stand, and while we don’t know if that’s actually true, what we do know is that Manson will be contributing to the miniseries’ soundtrack. In the same interview with Revolver where he confirmed that he would be playing a role on the show, the metal icon revealed that he has recorded a cover of “The End” by The Doors that will be used in some capacity (we’re keeping our fingers crossed that it will be the theme song).

Stephen King In The Stand

Stephen King Has Written A New Coda That Will Take Form As The Last Episode

The Stand was first published in 1978, and a newer, uncut edition was released in 1990, but Stephen King still isn’t done adding to the world. Just prior to the start of production on the CBS All Access series, the author announced via Twitter that he had completed writing a new “final story” that would serve as a coda for the adaptation and the book. King wrote the script with his son, Owen King, and it will serve as the final episode of the show.

Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abigail in The Stand

There Is A Spectacular Ensemble Of Actors Playing Residents Of The Boulder Free Zone

Stephen King’s The Stand follows the stories of a hell of a lot of characters after the world is decimated by the virus known as Captain Trips, and the miniseries adaptation had one hell of a task to accomplish just casting them all. To start with the true-hearted survivors that are living in the community in Boulder, Colorado organized by Mother Abagail (Whoopi Goldberg), the cast includes James Marsden as Stu Redman, Odessa Young as Frannie Goldsmith, Jovan Adepo as Larry Underwood, Henry Zaga as Nick Andros, Brad William Henke as Tom Cullen, Amber Heard as Nadine Cross, Greg Kinnear as Glen Bateman, Gordon Cormier as Joe, and Owen Teague as Harold Lauder.

Alexander Skarsgard as Randall Flagg in The Stand

Randall Flagg’s Las Vegas Crew Isn’t Lacking In The Talented Actor Department Either

While the “good guys” gather together in Colorado following the apocalyptic virus, those who lean toward evil or are particularly susceptible to the seductions of it make their way to Las Vegas to serve at the feet of the horrifying and seemingly omnipresent Randall Flagg (Alexander Skarsgard). This side includes the former petty criminal turned loyal lieutenant Lloyd Henreid played by Nat Wolff, and Katherine McNamara as Julie Lawry, a wild woman who has a dangerous encounter with Nick Andros and Tom Cullen early in the book.

CBS All-Access logo

The Stand Will Exist As A CBS All Access Exclusive

We live in a world that is filled to the brim with all different kinds of ways to watch entertainment, and the particular draw for any service is exclusive content. CBS All Access is already well-established in this game, having produced a number of Star Trek shows as well as the new Twilight Zone among other programs, and soon the streamer’s roster will include The Stand. While it’s unknown if the show will drop episodes weekly or be binge-able, episodes will only be available at first via CBS All Access.

All of that covers most of what we know about The Stand – but we a frequently hearing more details, and regularly keeping our ears to the ground for new updates. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend as we continue to write about the exciting upcoming adaptation in the run up to its mysterious release date.

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.