Stephen King's The Stand Heads to CBS All Access

CBR

By Sam Stone

Published Jan 31, 2019

A television adaptation of Stephen King's post-apocalyptic bestseller The Stand has officially been greenlit by CBS All Access.

After years of being stuck in development hell, a new adaptation of Stephen King's post-apocalyptic novel, The Stand, is officially moving forward on CBS All Access.

The premium streaming service confirmed a ten-episode straight-to-series order for the adaptation, which will be written and executive produced by Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars, The New Mutants) and Ben Cavell (Homeland) with Boone also attached to direct.

"I’m excited and so very pleased that The Stand is going to have a new life on this exciting new platform," declared King in a written statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "The people involved are men and women who know exactly what they’re doing; the scripts are dynamite. The result bids to be something memorable and thrilling. I believe it will take viewers away to a world they hope will never happen."

First published in 1978, King's novel follows survivors of a mass epidemic that has swept the world attempt to rebuild society only to face the arrival of evil incarnate in the mysterious Randall Flagg. After being adapted as an ABC miniseries in 1994, a new adaptation was optioned in 2011 for the big screen before transitioning as a television miniseries with Showtime. CBS All Access optioned the adaptation from Boone this past August before committing to the project.

"I read The Stand under my bed when I was 12, and my Baptist parents burned it in our fireplace upon discovery," reflected Boone. "I stole my dad’s FedEx account number and mailed King a letter professing my love for his work. Several weeks later, I came home to find a box had arrived from Maine, and inside were several books, each inscribed with a beautiful note from god himself, who encouraged me in my writing and thanked me for being a fan. My parents, genuinely moved by King’s kindness and generosity, lifted the ban on his books that very day. I wrote King a cameo as himself in my first film and have been working to bring The Stand to the screen for five years. I’ve found incredible partners in CBS All Access and Ben Cavell. Together with Stephen King, Owen King, my longtime producing partners Knate Lee and Jill Killington, we plan to bring you the ultimate version of King’s masterwork."