This December, it’s time to make a stand.
The latest Stephen King novel to get a (new) adaptation is his 1978 post-apocalyptic story The Stand, with CBS All Access delivering a big budget TV series based on the book starring a cast of A-listers later this year. And to get folks excited for it, a new trailer for the show arrived during its virtual panel at New York Comic Con today, with star Whoopi Goldberg making a surprise appearance to introduce it.
The Stand is a nine-episode limited event series which takes place, according to the official synopsis, in “a world decimated by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil. The fate of mankind rests on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abagail and a handful of survivors. Their worst nightmares are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the Dark Man.”
As you can see in the trailer, the series sports an incredibly impressive cast. Deep breaths now… It stars Whoopi Goldberg (Mother Abagail), Alexander Skarsgard (Randall Flagg), James Marsden (Stu Redman), Odessa Young (Frannie Goldsmith), Jovan Adepo (Larry Underwood), Amber Heard (Nadine Cross), Owen Teague (Harold Lauder), Henry Zaga (Nick Andros), Brad William Henke (Tom Cullen), Irene Bedard (Ray Bretner), Nat Wolff (Lloyd Henreid), Eion Bailey (Weizak), Heather Graham (Rita Blakemoor), Katherine McNamara (Julie Lawry), Fiona Dourif (Ratwoman), Natalie Martinez (Dayna Jurgens), Hamish Linklater (Dr. Jim Ellis), Daniel Sunjata (Cobb) and Greg Kinnear (Glen Bateman).
The NYCC panel also released some key art from the show, which you can find in the gallery down below:
Ever since the pandemic hit this year, social media has been full of jokes about how we’re now living in The Stand, so CBS All Access’ new project has turned out to be unexpectedly timely and might actually hit a little too close to home for some.
Of course, The Stand was previously adapted as a miniseries by ABC back in 1994, which starred the likes of Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe. What marks the latest version apart from the novel and the previous show, however, is that it will feature a new coda penned by King, which is certainly exciting for fans of the author.
As exec produced and directed by The New Mutants’ Josh Boone, 2020’s The Stand will premiere on the streaming service on Thursday, December 17th, with episodes to air weekly after that. Tell us, though, do you have any intention of checking out the upcoming Stephen King adaptation when it drops? Let us know by leaving a comment below.