Summary
While not everyStephen Kingadaptation is excellent, and sometimes the book is better, the author has had a particularly exciting past few years. FromOsgood Perkins’s gory horror movieThe Monkeyto the movingThe Life of Chuck, which sadly isn’t doing well at the box office, there have been some fascinating films based on the author’s scary and also more realistic stories.A movie adaptation ofThe Stand, King’s 1978 dystopian novel, was recently announced, and withThe Running Manbeing released in November, King’s fans are thrilled to see so many of his stories at their local movie theater.
Some of King’s books lend themselves easily to a movie or TV adaptation.Misery, for instance, tells a linear tale of an author and an intense and dangerous fan, and it makes sense that the movie would work so well. While I agree that adapting some of King’s work is tougher than others,I’m wondering if the biggest criticism ofThe Standcould actually work in its favor.
Stephen King’s The Stand Is A Long Book With Countless Characters, But I Think That Could Be A Good Thing For The Movie
In 2019, Stephen King was interviewed on the podcastPost Mortem, which is hosted by Mick Garris, the director ofthe 1994The Standminiseries, and he shared that he came close to walking away from the novel. According toEntertainment Weekly, King explained:
“I said, ‘This is getting too big, this is unwieldy. I almost ended the book right there, I almost left it in a drawer, because I said, ‘I don’t know what to do with all these people, I’ve spread the thing too wide.'”
King’s comments shed light onone worry aboutThe Stand’s movie adaptation: the fact thatthe book is over 1,000 pages and has so many characters. It’s hard not to wonder how the movie can be any good or can even begin to explore the well-written characters and major themes of the popular novel. There are so many other post-apocalyptic stories that could be adapted for film, includingKing’s son Joe Hill’sThe Fireman.
After giving this some more thought, however,I think thatThe Standmovie can be great, even though adapting the lengthy novel will be a challenge. First of all, it’s possible to focus on a few notable characters and briefly show the others. For instance, there’s no movie without the mysterious and compelling Randall Flagg, or Frannie Goldsmith, a young pregnant woman grappling with the terrifying present and her shaky future.
Second of all,the large cast of characters speaks to the theme of the story: at the end of the day, when disaster strikes, everyone is human, and it’s possible to find connection and lean on each other.
In real life, a pandemic or other notable event affects a large group of people, so it makes sense thatThe Standwould be about more than a few characters.I’d love for the movie to spotlight a handful of characters and then zoom out and briefly show some of the others. While some of King’s adaptations should follow the book closely, and hopefullyEdgar Wright’sThe Running Mandoes the novel justice,The Standmovie might need a few minor changes in order to work properly.
Fans Love Stephen King’s The Stand’s Characters And Compelling Tone (And Hopefully The Movie Can Get It Right)
In aReddit thread, several of Stephen King’s fans discussed why they considerThe Standto be such a great story. Readers notedthe relatable small town setting, the unforgettable characters, and the pace.
Redditor @Talvezno wrote:
“I absolutely loveThe Stand, have read it multiple times in the last 20 years… I really really like small town, slice of life, stories…The Standfelt Incredibly immersive.”
Redditor @drewfarndale likes it because there is:
“A memorable set of characters on both sides of the divide. A real sense of dread that sustains itself until the end.”
Other fans praised the “slow build” of the plot. I’m interested to see howThe Standmovie adaptation handles the book’s sometimes slow pace while ensuring that the film isn’t boring. While there are many reasons whythe book will be hard to adapt into an excellent movie, I’m intrigued and look forward to hearing about the cast and seeing a trailer at some point.
