Horror producer and director James Wan reveals that he wants to direct an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand. The post-apocalyptic novel follows the survivors of a global pandemic who must choose between joining factions of good or evil before they inevitably come to a head. Wan has become one of the most prominent names in horror in the 21st century, directing movies like Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring. Wan has worked on numerous King projects, producing 2024’s Salem’s Lot and the Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey.
In an interview with The Kingcast, Wan shares his love for The Stand and his hopes to direct a feature film version. The horror icon acknowledges that many of King’s stories have been adapted in recent years for the silver screen and that The Stand may be the only one left that he would want to direct. Given the length of the novel, Wan believes The Stand would have to be at least a 3-hour movie and potentially split into two separate films.
I think the only one maybe left for me that I would love to take, just because I know what an epic movie this could be, is The Stand. I love The Stand. The book is so big, I feel like a longer platform would be the right place for The Stand. If you do a feature movie of The Stand, it’s going to be a very long movie. It’s going to be over 3-hours long, and maybe there’s part 1 and part 2.
What This Means For A Stand Adaptation
The Novel Has Been Adapted Twice Already
The Stand is considered to be one of King’s best novels and a sprawling epic that has stood the test of time. Originally published in 1978, King’s publisher Doubleday had the author reduce the size of his novel. After being a mᴀssive success, King released the uncut manuscript in 1990, making it his longest novel to date. The Stand has been adapted twice as a TV miniseries, once with frequent collaborator Mick Garris, who also directed King’s Sleepwalkers, Bag of Bones, and The Shining miniseries. The most recent version was released in 2020 on Paramount+ during the height of COVID-19.
The novel is too popular within King’s bibliography to not have another filmmaker attempt to make it work.
Despite being adapted multiple times, there has yet to be a definitive live-action version of The Stand. While Garris’ version is faithful to the story and completely rewatchable, it suffers from being limited by its format and the budget available for being a made-for-TV miniseries in 1990. The 2020 version unfortunately fell flat throughout most of its run. The Stand had confusing casting choices and made a jarring change to the narrative structure that leaned heavily on flashbacks instead of being straightforward. A big-budget movie, or movies, seems like the next logical step when it comes to another potential adaptation.
Our Take On Wan Directing The Stand
It Shouldn’t Happen For A Few Years
Despite being adapted multiple times, it’s only a matter of time until The Stand gets adapted again. The novel is too popular within King’s bibliography to not have another filmmaker attempt to make it work. Wan’s filmography makes him an obvious choice to direct a movie version of King’s novel. Unfortunately, given how recently The Stand was adapted, more time needs to pᴀss before another version can be made. However, given how in demand Wan is as a filmmaker, it’s likely he wouldn’t be able to tackle it for potentially years to come if he were to direct it.
Source: The Kingcast
