Ben Affleck’s credibility as a director is rock solid right now. GONE BABY GONE, THE TOWN, and now ARGO have been skilled films from someone I never thought would be a top level director. With all of the rumors swirling around awards recognition for ARGO, it is nice to see that Affleck is staying grounded and continuing to work on future projects.
One project we haven’t heard about in a while is the updated version of Stephen King’s novel THE STAND. Affleck has been in the development stage for a while and it doesn’t seem to be making much progress. When asked about the status of the movie, he had this to say:
“Right now we’re having a very hard time. But I like the idea—it’s like The Lord of the Rings in America. And it’s about how we would reinvent ourselves as a society. If we started all over again, what would we do?”
Affleck has been working with writer David Kajganich for about a year now but it doesn’t sound like much has been written so far. THE STAND is a daunting project but it has already been made into a television miniseries and a succesfull comic book. Affleck may be looking for a new avenue to tackle the story. The post-apocalyptic movie is becoming a trend in Hollywood these days so THE STAND may not be as sure a bet as it once was.
I absolutely love Stephen King’s novel and it is often cited as the inspiration for projects as varied as THE WALKING DEAD to LOST. Would I love to see it made into a big budget Hollywood movie? Sure, but not if it means sacrificing story to fit it into a single film. Unless they can bring something truly unique, I say leave THE STAND alone.
What so you think?
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