UPDATE: Matthew McConaughey Eyed For WB's THE STAND
Director Josh Boone and author Stephen King want the Oscar-winner for one of the lead characters in the sci-fi horror and post-apocalyptic epic. Would he play Stu Redman or Randall Flagg? It may be up to McConaughey. Check it out.
Stephen King’s The Stand, a story of good versus evil in the wake of a deadly virus that wipes out most of humanity, has seen its share of adaptations. There was the 1994 miniseries on ABC starring Gary Sinese and Jamey Sheridan. In 2008, Marvel Comics published the first of a 30 issue comic book adaptation. Over the years, WB has been working on bringing the story to the big screen with directors like Ben Affleck and Scott Cooper taking a crack at the material.
Now that writer-director Josh Boone (The Fault In Our Stars) is on board, it seems that the project is finally moving forward. According to The Wrap, Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club, True Detective) is both Boone’s and King’s first choice to join the film. But while McConaughey would seem to be the ideal Stuart Redman, he is actually being courted by WB for the part of the Walkin’ Dude himself, Randall Flagg. He’s basically the antichrist. The Wrap's Jeff Sneider speculates that if McConaughey finds the time in his schedule to join the 3 hour, R-rated epic, he’ll have the choice between the two characters.
Boone previously told Vulture that his adaptation would feature “an amazing A-list cast across the board. Every single one of those characters will be somebody you recognize and somebody you relate to.” He has already cast his lucky charm Nat Wolff in an undisclosed role created specifically for this adaptation. Other rumors suggested that Boone is in fact hoping McConaughey and Christian Bale will join the project. Hopefully, we’ll hear more concrete information soon.
UPDATE: Boone (@JoshBooneMovies) has responded to the recent trade reports:
This confirms those previous rumors.
McConaughey is considered to be the favorite for Best Actor in a Drama Series at this weekend’s Emmy Awards for his work in HBO’s True Detective. He can be seen in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar this November.
Do you hope this choice pans out? Who would you like to see cast in the ensemble?